Senator Stuns GOP, Backs Democrat

Voting ballot with options for Republican and Democratic parties — Photo: Frame Stock Footage / Shutterstock

A senior Republican senator just threw her weight behind the Democrat running to replace the state’s governor.

Quick Take

Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor on October 27, 2026.
Her father, former Republican Gov. and Sen. Frank Murkowski, also backed Kreiss-Tomkins the same day.
Three former Alaska governors from three different political backgrounds joined the endorsement.
Murkowski has a history of crossing party lines, including a 2024 endorsement of Democrat Mary Peltola.

Murkowski Breaks With Her Own Party On Governor’s Race

Sen. Lisa Murkowski told Alaska’s News Source reporter Rebecca Palsha she was backing Kreiss-Tomkins over three Republican candidates in the race. “I am announcing my endorsement of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins,” she said, calling him “a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now.” The comment came as a surprise announcement on a Tuesday afternoon, just days before the November 3 general election.

🚨 BREAKING: "Republican" Sen. Lisa Murkowski just ENDORSED Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Governor of Alaska — stabbing President Trump's endorsed candidate, Bernadette Wilson, in the back just 7 days before Election Day

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!

There are THREE Republicans… pic.twitter.com/8Dd795M1f7

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 28, 2026

A written statement from the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign carried more of Murkowski’s reasoning. She argued Alaska’s problems were too big for party fighting to get in the way, saying “our future is too important to be hamstrung by partisan divisions.” The campaign used her words to paint Kreiss-Tomkins as a bipartisan choice at a moment when three separate Republicans are splitting the GOP vote.

A Family Endorsement And Three Former Governors

Murkowski was not the only Murkowski to cross the aisle that day. Her father, Frank Murkowski, a former Republican governor and senator, also announced support for Kreiss-Tomkins on the same Tuesday. Their joint move added extra weight to a race already crowded with Republican contenders splitting the conservative vote.

The father-daughter endorsement joined an even bigger show of bipartisan support. Three former Alaska governors, Democrat Tony Knowles, Republican Frank Murkowski, and independent Bill Walker, all backed Kreiss-Tomkins over the three Republicans on the ballot. The trio wrote publicly that between them they had decades of experience running the state and believed Kreiss-Tomkins was the stronger choice for Alaska’s next chapter.

This Fits A Pattern, Not A One-Time Break

Murkowski’s move looks less like a lightning bolt and more like business as usual for her. She endorsed Democrat Mary Peltola’s reelection bid to the U.S. House back in 2024. That same cycle, she also backed Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, showing her endorsements track specific candidates rather than a party switch.

Alaska’s elections reward that kind of candidate-first thinking more than most states. The state’s voters have shown a willingness to split tickets and support candidates outside strict party lines, especially under its ranked-choice voting system. Murkowski, a three-decade Senate veteran, has built a brand as an independent-minded Republican willing to buck her own party when she disagrees with its direction.

What Cross-Party Endorsements Actually Do To Voters

Political scientists have studied whether endorsements like this one actually move votes, and the results are mixed at best. A large study tracking more than 85,000 survey respondents found endorsements can win over voters who already trust the endorser, but they can also backfire among voters who dislike the pick. In other words, Murkowski’s endorsement may energize some moderate and independent Alaskans while hardening opposition from committed Republicans who see it as a betrayal.

That tension is already playing out publicly. Conservative commentators have criticized Murkowski sharply, with some labeling her a Republican in name only for backing a Democrat over her own party’s nominees. Supporters of Kreiss-Tomkins, meanwhile, are using her name and the three former governors’ backing as proof their candidate can govern beyond party lines. Both reactions were loud within hours of the news breaking.

Murkowski's governor endorsement

Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins for Alaska governor three days after Trump called her a disgrace.#Alaska #Elections pic.twitter.com/7As4w0BuPR

— Alaska News (@AlaskaNewsCom) October 28, 2026

Whatever the political fallout, the facts of the endorsement itself are not in question. Murkowski said what she said, on camera, and her father and three former governors stood behind the same candidate the same week. For conservatives watching Alaska, the real test comes November 3, when voters decide whether a senator’s cross-party stamp actually swings a governor’s race or simply confirms how unpredictable Alaska politics remains.