ALASKA AFL-CIO ENDORSES KREISS-TOMKINS FOR GOVERNOR
Sole endorsement from Alaska’s largest labor group underscores JKT’s commitment to lowering costs and fighting for working Alaskans
August 27, 2026
Today, Democratic candidate for Alaska governor Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (JKT) announced the sole endorsement of the Alaska AFL-CIO, the state’s largest labor organization. The Alaska AFL-CIO, established in 1943, represents 50,000 union members belonging to over 85 affiliated unions statewide, including building trades workers, service workers, maritime workers, and public employees.
Alaska AFL-CIO’s endorsement comes after four of its affiliate unions (Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52 PAC, Alaska Public Employees Association/American Federation of Teachers, SEIU 775, and Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association) previously endorsed JKT.
Alaska AFL-CIO president Joelle Hall issued the following statement:
“As union leaders, we know the importance of talking to all of our members, regardless of where they live. JKT has spent his entire campaign crossing our state, talking with Alaskans about the issues that matter most. In his 10 years serving in the Alaska House, he consistently stood up for working family values. He voted to protect public schools, invest in basic infrastructure like roads and harbors, and protect the $85 billion Permanent Fund. JKT knows we must fight to fund our schools, build robust capital budgets, protect paid sick leave, lower healthcare costs, and establish a defined-benefit pension for Alaska’s public employees.
Our federation knows what is at stake in this election. For the last 8 years, we have had a governor who takes every opportunity to put workers down. A governor who has spent his entire tenure in office starving our schools, belittling our dedicated public servants, and ensnaring Alaska in lower-48 culture war issues. JKT is running a race to get Alaska back on track. JKT is the candidate who will win this race and deliver results for Alaska’s working families. Alaska’s labor movement will be spending the next 68 days talking to our members and ensuring JKT is the 13th Governor of the great State of Alaska.”
“Alaska AFL-CIO’s endorsement is a huge boost of momentum to our campaign as we head into the general election,” said Kreiss-Tomkins. “Alaska’s union workers go to work every day to keep our state running, serve our kids, and build strong communities. Over the past eight years, these professionals have borne the brunt of the Dunleavy Administration’s vetoes to retirement pensions, slow defunding of our public schools, and inaction while the cost of everyday needs skyrockets. It’s time to fight back on behalf of working Alaskans.”
Alaska AFL-CIO’s endorsement adds to a growing list of supporters, including NEA-Alaska; over 50 Alaska Native leaders; over 40 commercial fisheries leaders; the commercial fishermens’ organizations Kodiak Seiners Association, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, and Cordova District Fishermen United; former Gov. Tony Knowles; and over 60 elected leaders from Cordova to Kotzebue who are backing JKT’s vision to get Alaska back on track.
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About Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (JKT), born and raised in Sitka, represented Southeast Alaska’s island communities for 10 years in the State House. He first won election at age 23 after leaving college without a degree to launch a grassroots campaign, traveling by ferry and floatplane to knock on nearly every door across Southeast Alaska, defeating an established incumbent by 32 votes.
A member of the Bipartisan Coalition in the House, he worked across the aisle to protect public education, reduce trawl bycatch and protect our fisheries, invest in infrastructure, revitalize Alaska Native languages, and protect the Permanent Fund from overspending. After a decade in the legislature, Kreiss-Tomkins retired in 2023, and spent two years working for a national nonprofit on science and technology policy on Capitol Hill, as well as working on campaigns across Alaska and the country.
Since leaving the legislature, he's seen what all Alaskans have witnessed: a distracted state government that is failing to solve Alaska’s big problems. Prices keep rising. Basic infrastructure is neglected. Schools struggle or close.
Alaska needs new energy and new leadership. JKT is running for governor to support our schools, bring down costs, and give families a reason to stay — so that the next generation will also call Alaska home.
To learn more, visit jktforak.com.
About Zac Johnson
Zac Johnson was born in Anchorage and spent his early years in a dry cabin his parents built along Turnagain Arm. In 2000, at age 19, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman. He served two deployments, including during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
In 2006, Zac returned to Alaska and enrolled at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He volunteered as a firefighter and EMT with the Girdwood Fire Department before joining the Alaska State Troopers in 2013. As a state pilot and trooper with the Fairbanks-based Rural Unit, he worked missions from Dillingham to Arctic Village, and nearly every community in between. He later became a Tactical Flight Officer flying remote search and rescues, fishery patrols, and drug busts with federal law enforcement.
In 2023, Zac won election to the Anchorage Assembly as an independent. He has served as a strong advocate for public safety and responsible government. Today, Zac lives in South Anchorage with his wife, Liz, and continues to lead with Alaskan values of compassion, community, and hard work.
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