Democrat wins Alaska governor race, in setback for GOP scheme to steal Senate seat

Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state representative, is projected to win the race for governor of Alaska, making him the state’s first Democratic leader in more than two decades, the Associated Press reported. 

But Kreiss-Tomkins’ victory isn’t just significant as a partisan shift in the Last Frontier. His win could also help ensure fair certification of the state’s contentious U.S. Senate race. 

Ballots are still being tallied, with Democratic challenger Mary Peltola leading incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) by 5,800 votes as of Friday afternoon. But the state’s current Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, has refused to commit to signing off on certification of the race if Peltola wins.

That’s where Kreiss-Tomkins’ victory could come in. 

Under the Alaska Constitution, the next governor and lieutenant governor will be sworn in on Dec. 7. With that timeline, it will be harder for the GOP to attempt to subvert a Peltola victory.. 

Projections suggest Peltola is likely to win. But the race has been fraught with controversy over another Republican candidate on the ballot named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. President Donald Trump and other GOP politicians have claimed that this second Sullivan is a Democratic plant meant to confuse voters. Trump has also made similar claims about Gerald Heikes, yet another Republican candidate.

Prior to the election, the Trump administration moved to interfere in Alaska’s voting, suing to prevent* the state from certifying a Peltola victory if she were to win by a narrow margin. A federal judge dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit, but the DOJ appealed to the federal appeals court, where litigation is ongoing.

Earlier this week, Trump called for all votes against Peltola to be awarded to the incumbent Sullivan.

Before Election Day, Dunleavy called for a criminal investigation into allegations that Peltola campaign operatives secretly recruited the other Sullivan and Heikes to run for Senate to sink the incumbent Sullivan’s chances to win reelection.  

“If we conclude there were things… that are illegal, we will act on that,” Dunleavy said in an interview last month. “And that may in fact impact whether somebody is seated in the U.S. Senate.”

Though Alaska’s Senate race is still too close to be called, the Division of Elections is eyeing to certify the election on Nov. 25. 

*The Elias Law Group (ELG) represents the Peltola campaign in this case. ELG Firm Chair Marc Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.