Democrat Tom Begich Withdraws From Alaska Governor's Race, Endorses Kreiss-Tomkins

Tom Begich, a Democratic former Alaska state senator, announced on Friday, August 28, 2026, that he was withdrawing from Alaska's gubernatorial race and endorsing his Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Begich made the announcement in a video shared on the social platform X. Both Begich and Kreiss-Tomkins had advanced from Alaska's open primary held earlier in August 2026, a race that also included candidates such as Nick Begich, a former state lawmaker. According to reported primary results, Kreiss-Tomkins received 22.5% of the vote and Begich received 20.8%, placing Begich second in a crowded field. Four candidates in total advanced to the November general election, which will use ranked-choice voting. With Begich's withdrawal and endorsement, Kreiss-Tomkins becomes the only Democrat remaining on the November ballot, a development described as consolidating Democratic support behind his candidacy. The race remains ongoing, with the general election set for November 2026 under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system. Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state legislator from Sitka, is positioned as a potential candidate to become the youngest governor in state history if elected. The remaining field of candidates for the general election, beyond Kreiss-Tomkins and Nick Begich, was not fully detailed across the reports, and further developments in the campaign following Begich's withdrawal have not yet been reported.