FORMER SENATOR GARY WILKEN ENDORSES KREISS-TOMKINS FOR GOVERNOR
Longtime Interior leader and lifelong Republican adds to JKT’s growing cross-partisan coalition
October 19, 2026
Today, Alaska governor candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (JKT) and lieutenant governor running mate Zac Johnson announced the endorsement of former state Senator Gary Wilken.
A lifelong Republican and a 70-year resident of Fairbanks, former Senator Wilken represented Fairbanks and Ft. Wainwright for twelve years in the Alaska Senate, including eight years on the Senate Finance Committee, four of them as co-chair, before retiring in 2008. He is also a retired small businessman, having owned a wholesale food distribution company in Fairbanks for 30 years.
Among other public service positions, former Senator Wilken served 13 years on the board of the Fairbanks Municipal Utility System and 8 years on the 2020 reorganized board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) before resigning in 2018. He graduated from Lathrop High School in 1964.
Former Senator Wilken’s endorsement signals growing enthusiasm across the political spectrum for JKT and Johnson’s cross-partisan campaign to get Alaska back on track. Fairbanks city Mayor Mindy O’Neall and borough Mayor Grier Hopkins also recently endorsed JKT, along with six other current and former Fairbanks elected leaders.
“Jonathan has visited the Interior over sixteen times as a candidate. He has listened to what matters most to those from Fairbanks and North Pole, and he understands that the Interior needs to share in the benefits of the investments Alaska makes here,” said Former Sen. Wilken. “He has the listening skills, the collaborative governing experience, and a broad Fairbanks/North Pole-based coalition laser-focused on solving the problems that matter most to our families and our local businesses. It’s time for a new generation of leadership in Alaska. JKT has the grit, the energy, and the innovative ideas Alaska needs right now.”
“Gary Wilken has devoted his career to solving problems and growing the economy in Fairbanks and the Interior. I’m grateful for his support,” said Kreiss-Tomkins. “Our campaign is about working with Republicans, Democrats, and independents to bring down energy costs, support our schools, grow jobs in the Interior, stop the insidious out-migration, and make Fairbanks a place where Alaskans can build a future.”
JKT’s growing cross-partisan coalition also includes the Alaska AFL-CIO, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, Western States Carpenters Union, Public Safety Employees Association Local 803, Anchorage Police Department Employees Association PAC, Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association, Teamsters Local 959, UA Local 367, IBEW Local 1547, IUPAT Local 1959, Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific, NEA-Alaska, UAW Region 6 and Local 1907 (Alaska Graduate Workers Association), Alaska State Employees Association/AFSCME Local 52 PAC, Alaska Public Employees Association/American Federation of Teachers, and SEIU 775; over 50 Alaska Native leaders; over 40 commercial fisheries leaders; the commercial fishermen’s organizations Kodiak Seiners Association, Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, and Cordova District Fishermen United; former Gov. Tony Knowles; former Senate President Rick Halford (R); former State Senator Lesil McGuire (R); and over 60 elected Republicans, Democrats, and independents from Ketchikan 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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