A former Alaska statehouse Democrat, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, will be the state's next governor, marking Alaska' first Democratic governor since 2002, according to projections by the Associated Press and NBC News.
In Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, the top four candidates, regardless of party, advance from the primary to the general election, so Kreiss-Tomkins beat out three Republican candidates, as outgoing Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy is heavily unpopular and was termed out of office.
Kreiss-Tomkins had been leading in polls, and while an independent Gov. Bill Walker served from 2014 to 2018, the result is a blow to Republicans in a state that President Donald Trump carried in the past three presidential races.
During the August primaries,
another Democrat, Tom Begich – uncle of Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III and son of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Begich Sr. – advanced to the general election, but he suspended his campaign in late August and endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins.
"The strongest path to winning in November is not two Democratic candidates competing for the same donors and resources," Begich said in his video. "It's bringing those people together behind one ticket."
Kreiss-Tomkins was also endorsed by Alaska's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the few members of her party who has been willing to break with Trump on some foreign and domestic issues.
Reuters contributed
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins wins Alaska governor's race
