Bernadette Wilson, backed by Trump, loses Alaska governorship to Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins due to fragmentation of Republican vote
Fragmentation proved particularly costly in an electoral system that requires a candidate to receive more than 50% of first-choice votes to win in the first round. Kreiss-Tomkins reached that threshold and avoided a second round of preferential voting, while Wilson, Bronson and Taylor split the Republican vote.
Midterms in Alaska
Republican Bernadette Wilson, endorsed by President Donald Trump, was unable to prevent Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins from winning the governorship of Alaska this Friday. As reported by The Associated Press (AP), Kreiss-Tomkins received 50.8% of the initial votes and defeated three Republican candidates who split the conservative vote, allowing the Democrats to regain the governorship for the first time since 1998.
Wilson received 77,110 votes, or 28.1%, and trailed the Democrat by more than 22 points. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson received 37,252 votes, or 13.6%, while former Attorney General Treg Taylor received 19,709 votes, or 7.2%. Combined, the three Republicans garnered nearly 49% of the vote, but none came close to Kreiss-Tomkins.
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Republican vote was split
Trump endorsed Wilson, an Anchorage businesswoman and conservative activist, during a campaign event in Wasilla in October. The president also publicly criticized Bronson and Taylor for remaining in the race, but the Trump-backed candidate failed to unite the Republican vote behind her candidacy.
The fragmentation proved particularly costly in an electoral system that requires a candidate to receive more than 50% of first-choice votes to win in the first round. Kreiss-Tomkins reached that threshold and avoided a second round of preferential voting, while Wilson, Bronson and Taylor split the Republican vote.
Murkowski's role
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a frequent critic of President Trump, endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins a week before the election. That endorsement added another division within Alaska's conservative electorate and helped the Democrat's campaign, which presented the victory as a mandate to govern "across party lines."
Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state legislator from Sitka, will succeed Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is barred from running for a third term. The Democrat will be sworn in on Dec. 7 alongside her lieutenant governor, Zac Johnson, an independent.
Senate and House races remain up for grabs
In the only district of the U.S. House, Republican Nick Begich maintains a 6.1-point lead over his main rival, independent Bill Hill, with 96% of the votes counted. No winner has been projected in that race either.
State legislature
In the state Senate, Democrats and Republicans are tied with eight seats each, although the AP reports that Republicans retain the majority. In the state House, Democrats lead with 14 seats to the Republicans' seven, with several districts still too close to call.
Alaska's results remain preliminary. The state's Division of Elections expects to complete the count on Nov. 18 and certify the results on Nov. 25, so the current leads may change as the remaining votes are processed.
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