THE ALASKA STORY
Oct. 18, 2026 – Republican Bernadette Wilson is taking Alaska’s governor’s race to national audiences, using appearances on conservative television and radio to draw a sharp contrast between her plans for resource development and the record of Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
Her message: Alaska faces a choice between advancing energy and mining projects with President Donald Trump’s administration or electing a governor she argues would stand in their way.
The national media push reinforces the increasingly direct contest between Wilson and Kreiss-Tomkins, even with two other Republicans on the November ballot. Wilson and Kreiss-Tomkins are the only gubernatorial campaigns currently advertising on broadcast television in Alaska.
Wilson’s appearances have included several appearances on Newsmax, Fox News, Sean Hannity’s radio program, and One America News. The exposure gives her opportunities to connect Alaska’s election to national debates over energy production, taxes, and the consequences of ranked-choice voting.
It also comes after Trump endorsed Wilson during his visit to Wasilla last week. Wilson finished ahead of all other Republicans in the August primary and now faces Kreiss-Tomkins, while two other Republicans remain on the ballot; Treg Taylor advanced to the general-election field only after Democrat Tom Begich withdrew.
Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 19, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
During her Saturday appearance on Newsmax’s Saturday Agenda, Wilson urged Republicans to put her first and rank the other two Republicans behind her. She also said it would have been best for her Republican opponents to suspend their campaigns and support her. But they didn’t.
Her argument goes beyond personalities: Voters should consider which policies they want Alaska’s next governor to pursue.
That approach has been evident in Alaska’s debates as well. At a September debate, Wilson has directed her criticism toward Kreiss-Tomkins rather than her Republican rivals, focusing attention on the choice between the leading Republican and the lone Democrat.
Energy development is central to the contrast Wilson is drawing.
On Newsmax, she highlighted the Alaska LNG project and the South Korean investment announced by Trump, arguing that Alaska can play a larger role in supplying American energy. She also pointed to the Ambler Road project as an example of development she wants to advance while working with the White House.
Wilson paired that development message with criticism of Kreiss-Tomkins’ tax record, using his initials for the jab “just keep taxing.”
Kreiss-Tomkins voted in 2017 for a state income-tax proposal that passed the House 22–17. At the time, he described it as among the most consequential votes legislators would cast. The proposal did not become law, and Alaska still has no statewide personal income tax. But it was not for his lack of trying.
Wilson also used the national appearance to advocate passage of Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal Alaska’s open-primary and ranked-choice general-election system and restore party primaries.
The former Americans for Prosperity Alaska state director has spent years explaining and opposing ranked-choice voting. Her closing-weeks message combines that repeal effort with practical instructions for voters casting ballots under the current rules: Rank Wilson first, then the other Republicans.
With voting beginning Monday, Wilson is using both national exposure and Alaska advertising to frame the election around two competing directions for the state, and to establish herself as the Republican positioned to take on Kreiss-Tomkins.
