Former Alaska Governors Endorse Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor

A trio backs a single candidate

In an opinion column published by the Anchorage Daily News, three former Alaska governors—Democrat Tony Knowles, Republican Frank Murkowski, and independent Bill Walker—announced their collective endorsement of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for governor, citing a shared need for bipartisan leadership to tackle the state’s fiscal and structural challenges.

Bridging ideological divides for Alaska’s future

The alliance brings together leaders who served a combined 16 years in Alaska’s highest office across three different political affiliations. The authors wrote that while they have not always agreed on policy, they share a deep commitment to the state’s future that transcends partisan lines.

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Weighing daily struggles against structural strains

Governing Alaska requires difficult decisions and the ability to respond to unforeseen challenges, the former governors argued in the commentary. They pointed to pressing everyday difficulties for residents, noting that families are struggling with the rising costs of food, fuel, and energy while local schools face severe teacher and student retention strains alongside deteriorating infrastructure.

Detailing the candidate’s policy commitments

To address these pressures, the former executives highlighted Kreiss-Tomkins’ legislative record of crossing party lines and listening to diverse perspectives. They detailed a series of policy commitments outlined by the candidate:

Former Alaska Governors Endorse Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor

Reversing public education decline by fully funding schools, passing a constitutional amendment to forward-fund education to eliminate annual budget cycles of teacher layoffs, and offering fair pay to attract top educators.
Protecting fisheries by reining in bottom trawl bycatch, balancing the Board of Fish, nominating council members who represent Alaska-based fishermen, and restoring crashed Chinook salmon runs in regional rivers.
Fixing infrastructure through the maintenance of roads, airports, airstrips, bridges, power plants, and ports, alongside rebuilding the Alaska Marine Highway System under an independent governing board.
Lowering healthcare costs by protecting Medicaid expansion and funding first responders including police, fire, and emergency medical personnel.
Balancing the budget by constitutionally protecting the Permanent Fund from overspending to ensure long-term growth.

Context and timing in the gubernatorial race

Tony Knowles served as governor from 1994 to 2002, followed by Frank Murkowski from 2002 to 2006, and Bill Walker from 2014 to 2018. Their joint endorsement signals a pooling of cross-ideological support in the current gubernatorial race.