Murkowski Endorses Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska Governor, Passing Over the Candidate Trump Backs
The Republican senator called Kreiss-Tomkins 'a common-sense guy' who can work across party lines. Trump has endorsed Republican Bernadette Wilson in the ranked-choice race.
A Republican senator has crossed party lines in Alaska's governor's race, Fox News reports.
The endorsement. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced her support for Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and his nonpartisan running mate for lieutenant governor, Zac Johnson. She told Alaska station KTUU she is backing "a common-sense guy who has a known ability to be working together." Her statement, released through the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign, said "our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions."
What she said about him. Murkowski said Kreiss-Tomkins "understands that governing requires listening to people with different perspectives." She named a serious conversation about Alaska's fiscal future, the cost of energy and economic growth as priorities, and urged "Alaskans of every political stripe" to look at the ticket.
The Trump factor. Several Republicans are running in the ranked-choice contest. President Trump has endorsed Bernadette Wilson, so Murkowski's pick runs against his.
The response. Kreiss-Tomkins said he was "honored to have Senator Murkowski's support" and promised to work with the congressional delegation, the legislature, industry and communities.
Note for readers: the endorsement language comes from the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign's release and Murkowski's interview. Fox's headline calls it a snub of the Trump-backed candidate; Murkowski's own statement does not mention Wilson or the president.