Yahoo · August 29, 2026
Democrats are eyeing Alaska's gubernatorial race as a rare opportunity to win the governor's office for the first time in nearly three decades in a state that has generally favored Republicans in statewide elections.
But with former state Senator Tom Begich suspending his campaign Friday night, it remains unclear if Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins can unify Democratic voters and independents to mount a successful campaign against Republican candidates, including Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson, who also advanced to the general election after the state's jungle primary.
"What matters most is making sure Alaska gets a governor who will move us forward," Begich said in a campaign statement sent to Newsweek late Friday. "We believe the best way to do that now is to bring together the people, energy and momentum we have created and put our strength behind one candidate," he said, urging voters to back Kreiss-Tomkins.
Alaska voters narrowed the field in the state's top four primary earlier this month, sending two Democrats, including Begich, and two Republicans to November's general election under the state's ranked-choice voting system.
While forecasters including the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball rate the race as favorable to Republicans, limited polling has pointed to a competitive contest.
Begich's exit could reshape the field by prompting voters to consolidate behind remaining candidates, though it remains unclear how those votes will be redistributed, with prediction markets showing Kreiss-Tomkins' odds soaring. Alaska's ranked-choice voting system further complicates the outlook ahead of November.
Newsweek has reached out to Wilson, Bronson, and Kreiss-Tomkins for comment via email on Saturday.
Begich Announces Campaign Suspension
In his Friday statement sent to Newsweek, Begich announced that he was suspending his campaign, citing the high cost of the race and arguing that candidates with similar Democratic priorities would be better served by consolidating support.
The statement noted that prior to his suspension, he spoke directly with Kreiss-Tomkins' campaign, stating, "We share a commitment to those priorities, and those conversations gave me confidence that they will remain at the forefront of this race."
He added, "Rather than competing over visions that share so much in common, we are choosing to put our strength behind a shared vision for Alaska."
The team noted that continuing their campaign would cost millions of dollars, stating, "But when so many Alaskans are already stretched thin, we cannot keep asking them to give more and more just to compete with much larger amounts of money flowing into politics in Alaska." The campaign had raised more than $1.3 million, with 93 percent coming from Alaskans.
He and his running partner, Julia Hnilicka, spoke to voters about the decision in a nearly 6-minute-long video posted on social media on Friday. In their video, Hnilicka noted that "more than 30,000 Alaskans voted for Tom and me in this primary, and more than 60,000 voted for the two Democratic tickets. That tells us something important. Alaskans are ready for change."
Alaska Governor's Race Jungle Primary Results
Begich and former state Representative Kreiss-Tomkins, both Democrats, advanced to the general election after finishing first and second, respectively in the August 18 primary.
Kreiss-Tomkins led the field with 22 percent of the vote, while Begich's support stood at 20.8 percent, in the unofficial tally count.
Republican candidates followed behind, with Wilson securing about 10 percent and Bronson about 8 percent.
Begich's exit removes one Democratic candidate from the race and could allow support on the left to coalesce around Kreiss-Tomkins. With his suspension, Republicans dominate the ballot.
Under Alaska's election laws, if a top-four candidate drops out of the race by the deadline of August 31, then they will be replaced by the next highest finisher. As of Saturday, the fifth-place candidate is Republican Treg Taylor, the state's former attorney general. The sixth-place candidate is also a Republican, Click Bishop. The State of Alaska Division of Elections said in an update on Wednesday that the election certification deadline is on Monday.
Ranked-choice voting is used in the general election. Voters will rank the three candidates according to their preferences. If no candidate receives a majority of support, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and their votes will be redistributed according to their second choice. If, after the second round, no candidate receives a majority, that process is repeated to declare the winner.
Alaska's Political Landscape
Both the Alaska governor and Senate races have given Democrats optimism in a state that has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, with comfortable margins for President Donald Trump in the past three elections.
Alaska has not elected a Democratic governor since Tony Knowles left office in 2002, and the state's last Democratic U.S. senator, Mark Begich, left office in 2015.
Several factors are fueling Democratic optimism in Alaska this cycle, including a governor's race without an incumbent and the state's ranked-choice voting system.
"Alaska is more red than blue, but it is politically quirky. Democrats can win there when Republicans fracture, when they nominate a candidate with crossover appeal, and when ranked choice voting rewards second-choice acceptability over party loyalty," Matt Klink, owner and president of Klink Campaigns, previously told Newsweek.
Democrats' Chances of Flipping Alaska Governor's Seat, According to Polls
Public polling in Alaska's governor's race has been limited, and no publicly available surveys have been released since the primary narrowed the field to four candidates. Before suspending his campaign, Begich had led the Democratic field in several polls and, at times, outpolled Republican candidates.
The latest poll from Alaska Survey Research showed Begich leading the pack of all candidates with 19.7 percent, followed by Wilson with 14.6 percent, Kreiss-Tomkins with 12.2 percent, and Bronson with 10.9 percent.
In a third-round ballot test, Begich and Wilson were virtually tied, with Begich receiving 28.7 percent support and Wilson 28.3 percent. Bronson followed at 22.2 percent, while Kreiss-Tomkins received 20.7 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,528 registered voters June 30-July 1, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
An earlier Alaska Survey Research poll, which surveyed 1,923 likely voters April 16-19, showed that in the final round of ranked choice, Begich led Wilson 53.9 percent to 46.1 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Prediction markets reacted quickly to Begich's withdrawal. On Polymarket, Kreiss-Tomkins' chances of winning the governor's race rose from about 31 percent Friday morning to roughly 49 percent by Saturday morning. On Kalshi, his odds similarly climbed from about 32.5 percent on Thursday to 51 percent on Saturday.
As the November 3 election approaches, Kreiss-Tomkins has a window to turn Begich's departure into a broader coalition capable of competing with the remaining Republican candidates, while Republicans retain the advantage of competing in a state that has historically favored GOP candidates.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Jenni Fink and Anthony Murray.