By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 28, 2026 – Sen. Lisa Murkowski passed over all three Republicans running for Alaska governor to endorse Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
But the Republicans’ responses revealed distinctly different levels of willingness to confront the senator.
Bernadette Wilson pledged to work to unseat her. Treg Taylor expressed disappointment and focused on taxes and Permanent Fund dividends.
Dave Bronson emphasized Murkowski’s right to endorse whomever she chooses.
Murkowski announced her endorsement Tuesday, adding her name to a Kreiss-Tomkins endorsement roster that includes former Govs. Tony Knowles, Bill Walker, and her father, Frank Murkowski, age 93.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Wilson, making these endorsements the anti-Trump coalition.
Wilson, the leading Republican in the August primary, delivered the strongest response. She portrayed the endorsement as consistent with Murkowski’s politics and promised that, as governor, she would actively work against the senator.
Wilson’s full statement:
Given that Senator Lisa Murkowski abandoned Alaska values a long time ago, I am not surprised that she has endorsed “Just Keep Taxing” JKT. The guy who supports an income tax, wants to double the gas tax, doesn’t support a full PFD, and whose allegiance lies with extreme socialists hellbent on fighting President Trump to the detriment of everyday Alaskans is most certainly aligned with our failing senator.
I actively campaigned against Senator Murkowski in 2010, trying to sound the alarm on her liberal policies, and I will continue today to sound the alarm on the liberal policies of JKT.
As Governor, I will not be a sitting duck, and I can assure you, I will actively work to unseat the worst “Republican” senator in the country.
Wilson tied her opposition to Kreiss-Tomkins directly to her longstanding opposition to Murkowski, then committed to taking that fight into a future Senate election to unseat the senator who was initially appointed by her father Frank.
Taylor, the former attorney general, expressed disappointment but made no corresponding pledge to oppose Murkowski’s reelection.
Taylor finished fifth in the primary and advanced into the general election field after second-place Democrat Tom Begich withdrew. Wilson and Bronson finished third and fourth, respectively.
Taylor’s statement also addressed Walker and Knowles, connecting their endorsements to their records in office.
Taylor’s full statement:
I am not surprised by the support former Governors Bill Walker and Tony Knowles have given Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Under their leadership, Alaskans experienced either increased taxes or reduced PFD’s. Their endorsements for a candidate proposing new taxes are consistent with that history.
What is particularly disappointing is Senator Lisa Murkowski’s decision to cross party lines and endorse a Democrat for governor. Alaskans deserve leadership that protects their PFDs , respects their hard-earned money, and prioritizes fiscal responsibility over additional taxation. As your Governor, I will do just that!
Bronson, the former Anchorage mayor, offered the most accommodating response toward Murkowski’s decision. He recognized her right to make an endorsement and then redirected attention to his own campaign.
Bronson’s full statement:
Senator Murkowski is entitled to endorse whoever she chooses, just as President Trump is. That is her decision to make. My loyalty, however, remains with the people of Alaska not any political figure or endorsement.
I respect that voters will make their own decisions, and I’ll keep making my case directly to them: through my experience, my record of service, and my commitment to Alaska’s future. This race should be about the people we serve and the challenges facing our state. I’m focused on earning Alaskans’ trust and working for what is best for them.
Bronson avoided criticizing Kreiss-Tomkins’ policies and did not challenge Murkowski’s judgment.
The contrast is clear: Bronson acknowledged Murkowski’s choice, Taylor voiced disappointment, and Wilson promised political opposition.
As of this writing, no public statement from the Alaska Republican Party responding to Murkowski’s endorsement had been issued.
The endorsements sharpen the political divide around Trump.
Kreiss-Tomkins has secured the backing of Murkowski, one of Trump’s most prominent Republican opponents, alongside Democratic former Gov. Knowles and no-party former Gov. Walker.
Murkowski’s vote to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, even after he was no longer in office, prompted a formal Alaska Republican Party censure in 2021.
Walker’s endorsement carries its own history. He finished ninth in this year’s gubernatorial primary. His endorsement is a reminder of a record that has made him a contentious figure among Alaska conservatives.
Walker pursued a major Alaska LNG agreement with companies controlled by communist China, including Sinopec, Bank of China, and CIC Capital. He signed the joint development agreement in Beijing in November 2017. Alaska’s congressional delegation, including Lisa Murkowski, welcomed the agreement at the time.
The proposed arrangement contemplated Chinese financing in exchange for up to 75% of the project’s LNG output. Under Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who beat Walker in 2018, the agreement was canceled and control of the gasline project returned to the state.
Taylor’s reference to reduced PFDs has a specific history: It was Walker who vetoed roughly half the dividend funding in 2016, resulting in a $1,022 payment. That decision triggered a lasting political backlash and remains a central part of the record Walker brings to his endorsement of Kreiss-Tomkins, who also opposes paying a statutory PFD.
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4 thoughts on “What the Republicans said: Taylor disappointed, Bronson respects Murkowski endorsement choice, Wilson fights on”
Bronson a freaking wet blanket. Saying whatever he can at this point to get votes. I am still picking him 1. He’s better than Wilson. But I won’t say anything bad about here because everyone on here takes it personally.
1)Bronson
2)Taylor
3)Wilson (doesn’t pay her bills, can’t manage her own business and has a kick with one of the most liberal lunatics in Alaska politics) P.S. these are facts so you can’t take them personally.
Sophisticated election manipulation that was deviously conceived, planned, and executed. It is not possible that the vacuous shill, Peltola, understood it then, and probably still does not now.
It does vibrantly illustrate the back room Democrat party bosses’ plans to utilize the unfortunate Peltola as an ignorant, but useful tool.
Oops. Posted to wrong article. My bad. Easy to figure out.
So many democrats running as republicans. Not just in our state, but in the country.
Deep red states like Wyoming and Idaho have the same problems.
Get up! Stand up! Fight for your place and rights.
Or the weak and corrupt will rule over you and educate your children. And you will deserve the cowards fate.