JKT touts showing up at a luncheon in Anchorage. Republicans show up in Fairbanks, bring home $150 million for Alaska

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Oct. 6, 2026 – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins tried to turn his Republican rivals’ attendance at Vice President JD Vance’s Fairbanks rally into a campaign liability Monday, portraying himself as the candidate focused on Alaska while the others chased national political headlines.

But the vice president’s first Alaska visit coincided with an announcement directly tied to the economic future Kreiss-Tomkins said he was more focused on: up to $150 million in federal funding for a second electrical transmission connection between Southcentral Alaska and the Interior.

“Today, I was the only candidate for governor who showed up for the Anchorage Chamber’s Make It Monday forum,” Kreiss-Tomkins wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “Other candidates canceled at the last minute to attend the Vice President’s event in Fairbanks.”

The Chamber confirmed that candidate cancellations happened and clarified that the forum itself was canceled because fewer than two candidates remained, the minimum required by its Advocacy Committee.

Kreiss-Tomkins, the only Democrat in the four-candidate governor’s field, used the scheduling clash to draw a broader distinction between himself and his Republican opponents.

“I’m running to be Governor of Alaska and my priority is Alaskans,” he wrote on social media.

He said business leaders deserved candidates willing to discuss investment, jobs, and fiscal responsibility.

“Alaska deserves a governor who is focused on Alaska, not national politics and not whatever event happens to draw the biggest headlines,” he continued.

And yet …. In Fairbanks, more than 1,000 people gathered at an airport hangar to welcome Vance and support Sen. Dan Sullivan’s reelection campaign. Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Congressman Nick Begich also attended. No Democrats were seen at the rally, where Air Force Two provided the backdrop for a rare visit by a sitting vice president to the Golden Heart City.

There were plenty of business leaders in Fairbanks. And the administration’s Alaska business that day extended well beyond campaign speeches.

The Department of Energy announced its intent to provide up to $150 million in Defense Production Act funding for the Alaska Energy Authority’s Beluga-Healy Transmission Project. The proposed 223-mile connection will give utilities another route to move electricity between Southcentral Alaska and the Interior, improving reliability and helping lower electricity costs.

DOE puts the preliminary total project estimate at $418 million, including $268 million in planned non-federal funding. The federal announcement is a major step toward the project, rather than a completed transmission line or an immediate reduction in electric bills.

Alaska’s entire congressional delegation — Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Begich — welcomed the investment.

Sullivan described the project as a way to strengthen the Railbelt’s electrical backbone, lower costs for families and businesses, and prepare for infrastructure, resource development and military investment.

Murkowski emphasized affordability and the value of a second pathway for moving electricity. Begich pointed to the connection between reliable energy infrastructure and Alaska’s expanding national defense role.

The project is intended to serve the same Alaska economic priorities Kreiss-Tomkins cited in his post: attracting investment, supporting employers and building infrastructure for future growth.

The planned 230-kilovolt overhead line would run from Beluga through West Susitna, where a new substation would be built, toward Willow and north to Healy. It would connect with AEA’s Cook Inlet PowerLink project.

AEA says the Railbelt currently depends on a single transmission corridor between Homer and Fairbanks, limiting options when a major line is disrupted. A second pathway would improve resilience for approximately 75% of Alaska’s population and seven military installations.

The delegation also identified growing electricity demand from planned resource projects and military investments, including the $7 billion “Fighter Town USA” recapitalization program at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Kreiss-Tomkins’ post did not mention the transmission announcement. His criticism centered on his opponents’ decision to leave the Chamber event for the vice president’s arrival, presenting Monday as a choice between Alaska’s future and national politics, while at the same time the federal administration was announcing a substantial investment in Alaska’s future.

Kreiss-Tomkins sought to make being the only candidate at the Chamber a demonstration of leadership.

The broader picture was less flattering: His Republican rivals were in Fairbanks alongside Alaska’s governor, congressman, senator and the vice president, while an important Alaska energy investment took center stage.

JKT had the “show up” slogan. The others actually showed up for a federal announcement worth $150 million.