Kreiss-Tomkins centers his campaign message on moving into a luxury address

By SUZANNE DOWNING

June 11, 2026 – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is drawing attention for a campaign video filmed outside the Alaska Governor’s Mansion in Juneau, where he made what he called his “one simple promise and pledge” if elected governor: He will live there.

Standing in front of the historic residence, Kreiss-Tomkins pointed to the mansion behind him and noted, falsely,  that it is currently unoccupied by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. While Dunleavy spends nights there, he is actually traveling quite a bit.

“This is the governor’s mansion and it is empty because our governor does not live in it,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “If I’m governor, I have one simple promise and pledge to make, which is this house is gonna have someone living in it, me.”

He added that the mansion would be “full of life” and particularly active during legislative sessions because, in his view, a governor should be in Juneau working directly with lawmakers. In other words, parties.

Kreiss-Tomkins’ message also highlights a contrast in how candidates view the governor’s role in a state that spans more than 665,000 square miles and stretches across multiple regions with vastly different needs. Kreiss-Tomkins is focused on a Calhoun Avenue address that has 26 rooms and 8 fireplaces. A luxury address, to be sure with perhaps more fireplaces than any other dwelling in Alaska.

Alaska governors routinely travel throughout the state and outside Alaska as part of their duties. In addition to overseeing state government, governors respond to natural disasters, meet with local officials, advocate for federal funding, negotiate with federal agencies, promote economic development projects, and represent the state in discussions involving national and international partners.

During his tenure, Dunleavy has frequently traveled to communities across Alaska, including across Southeast, Southcentral, Interior, Arctic, and Western Alaska communities. His administration has traveled to meet the needs of disaster response efforts, resource development initiatives, military advocacy, federal permitting agreements, and Alaska LNG negotiations.

Among the administration’s recent accomplishments are management of dozens of state and federal disaster declarations, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, advancing the Alaska LNG Project, and negotiating agreements related to mining, transportation, and energy development.

The governor’s office has also been involved in responses to major emergencies, including Typhoon Halong, wildfires, flooding events, and coastal storm damage affecting communities across the state.

Kreiss-Tomkins argues that governors should spend more time in Juneau during legislative sessions to improve relationships with lawmakers and help move policy priorities through the Legislature.

The video comes as Kreiss-Tomkins seeks to distinguish himself from other Democrats in the 2026 governor’s race, though his focus on residency at the governor’s mansion will likely only play well to the Juneau Democrat-aligned voters.

For many other voters, the question may ultimately be less about occupancy of the mansion and more about how a governor balances the demands of governing a state that stretches from Ketchikan to Utqiagvik and from the Aleutians to the Canadian border.