Kreiss-Tomkins launches bid for governor, but Alaska won’t see his donor list until weeks before the primary

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Feb. 4, 2026 – As expected, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins of Sitka formally entered Alaska’s 2026 governor’s race on Wednesday, becoming the 16th candidate for governor. Alaska has never had so many candidate for governor in one election cycle.

Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state representative who served Southeast Alaska island communities for a decade, announced he is running “to deliver a more affordable, prosperous, and brighter future for Alaskan families across the state.”

“This campaign will be about working together, across political and geographic divides, to get Alaska back on track,” Kreiss-Tomkins said in his launch statement.

He is holding a fundraiser and campaign kickoff event in Juneau on Saturday.

“In Juneau, I learned that Alaska is at its best when our leaders work together to solve problems,” he said. “But for too many years, we’ve had a governor who has refused to work with the legislature… I’m running for governor to tackle those problems head on—with anyone and everyone who will join me.”

Kreiss-Tomkins, widely known by his initials “JKT,” is positioning himself as a solutions-oriented Democrat focused on rising costs, struggling schools, and high energy prices.

But while his message emphasizes cooperation, his launch also comes with a major transparency delay built into Alaska’s campaign finance calendar.

Kreiss-Tomkins waited to announce his candidacy until after the Alaska Public Offices Commission’s reporting period closed on Feb. 1 — meaning the public will not see his initial donor list until the next required filing deadline in July.

After that, the next major disclosure window does not arrive until midsummer.

Under APOC rules:

• Year Start Report covers through Feb. 1, 2026 – due Feb. 17

• 30-Day Report covers Feb. 2 through July 17 –  due July 20

That means it will not be until one month before the primary election that Alaskans will have a full picture of where Kreiss-Tomkins’ campaign funding is coming from.

Observers expect he will be capable of drawing substantial outside money and national technology-sector support, given his recent work and political connections beyond Alaska. One of his campaign deputy treasurers is in New York. But those contributions will remain largely undiscoverable to voters until the July report is filed.

Kreiss-Tomkins served in the Alaska House from 2013 to 2023, representing House District 35, which included Sitka, Hoonah, Angoon, Kake, Craig, Klawock, Petersburg, and surrounding Southeast villages.

He is now registered to vote in midtown Anchorage, though his letter of intent listed a Sitka address.

His political career began with one of the closest legislative races in modern Alaska history. After redistricting reshaped Southeast House lines in 2012, a recount confirmed Kreiss-Tomkins’ 32-vote victory over Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of Haines, flipping the seat to Democrats. Thomas, an Alaska Native, was the incumbent.

During his tenure, Kreiss-Tomkins gained bipartisan attention for sponsoring legislation signed into law in 2014 making Alaska’s 20 Native languages official languages of the state.

The bill elevated his profile nationally. Liberal outlets including The Nation and Politico highlighted him as a model for turning red states purple, and The Washington Post named him one of its “40 Under 40” politicians.

More recently, Kreiss-Tomkins became associated with Covid-era policymaking through his role as a co-founder of Covid Act Now, a pandemic modeling organization launched in 2020 that fed the false narratives surround Covid.

The group’s projections were widely cited by media and public officials and helped inform policy, but later drew criticism for worst-case forecasts that overestimated hospital strain and death projections during the early months of the pandemic.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other critics pointed to such models as contributing to lockdown-era policy decisions that proved excessive.

Covid Act Now later posted disclaimers acknowledging uncertainty in its data and assumptions, and by 2024–2025 the organization had largely paused regular updates and archived much of its content.

Whether Alaska voters will embrace a former legislator with national progressive ties and a Covid-era policy footprint is likely to become a defining question of the race.

Kreiss-Tomkins enters a Democratic field that already includes Anchorage Sen. Matt Claman and Tom Begich. Kreiss-Tomkins is considered by many observers to be positioned farther to the political left than either.

With multiple Democrats competing for the same lane, it remains to be seen whether JKT is seeking the top job outright or positioning himself for a role on a future ticket.

For now, his entry adds a nationally connected progressive contender to Alaska’s already shifting 2026 governor’s race — with the full financial picture not coming into view until just weeks before voters begin casting ballots.