JKT RELEASES CLOSING PRIMARY MESSAGE: “ALASKA, VOTE FOR CHANGE”
Watch JKT’s closing message here
August 18, 2026
Today, Democratic candidate for Alaska governor Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (JKT) and lieutenant governor running mate Zac Johnson released their closing message to voters casting ballots in the primary election. After spending the last six months speaking with tens of thousands of Alaskans, JKT is making his final case for a new generation of leadership that will deliver better schools, healthy fisheries, and lower everyday costs for Alaskans.
Throughout the campaign, JKT has heard the same message in communities across the state: Alaskans are demanding change after years of schools struggling, fisheries crashing, costs rising, and too many young people feeling like they have to leave Alaska to build a future.
Highlights from JKT’s primary campaign, which he launched on February 4, include:
JKT has campaigned in all 19 of Alaska’s organized boroughs (the only 2026 candidate known to have done so), visited over 50 communities, and traveled 25,000 miles (farther than Earth’s circumference) within Alaska .
Based on his commitment to listening and governing on behalf of all Alaskans, JKT has campaigned in every corner of the state, including a 300-mile Arctic snowmachine trip to Northwest Arctic villages as well as a 450-mile boat trip down the Yukon River, visiting villages that haven’t seen a statewide candidate in decades.
JKT’s campaign is powered by the largest number of individual Alaska donors of any governor campaign, from the largest number of Alaskan communities, and hundreds of engaged volunteers all across the state.
JKT released a platform to regulate AI and is the only candidate proposing a moratorium on data center development in Alaska.
JKT earned more public endorsements than any other candidate for governor, including former governor Tony Knowles (Alaska’s most recent Democratic governor), over 60 current and former elected leaders from across Alaska, over 50 Alaska Native leaders, over 40 commercial fisheries leaders, and a growing coalition of labor unions.
In six months, JKT has climbed from single digits in polling to a dead heat for the lead.
“I launched this campaign because I believe Alaskans deserve leadership that’s energetic, bipartisan, accessible to the people, and tirelessly committed to solving our state’s problems,” said Kreiss-Tomkins. “On the ground, that’s exactly what I saw, that people want and so desperately need change. As Governor, I’ll bring a new generation of leadership to Juneau to deliver that change.”
JKT’s video recapping the primary campaign and encouraging supporters to vote is available here.
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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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