Tom Begich suspends Alaska governor campaign, endorses Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Tom Begich, a Democrat running for governor in Alaska, announced Friday evening that he is suspending his campaign. Begich said he would step aside in the statewide race, clearing the way for the other Democrat who advanced alongside him to face the top non-Democratic candidate in the general election.

Begich’s announcement came in a video shared on X, according to The Hill. He endorsed Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a former Alaska state representative and fellow Democrat seeking the governorship. Both candidates had advanced to the general election after Alaska’s open primary earlier this month, where voters selected candidates without regard to party affiliation.

Kreiss-Tomkins, whom Begich backed, had already secured a place in the general election as part of the same open-primary field. The governor’s race in Alaska is decided in the general election, but the open primary determines which candidates move forward, meaning the slate can change significantly as campaigns shift late in the process.

Begich previously served as an Alaska state senator, and his decision marks a contraction of the Democratic lane in the governor’s race. By endorsing Kreiss-Tomkins rather than leaving the race without a transfer of support, Begich indicated a preference for the candidate who remains in the general election contest.

The move also tightens the practical campaign math for the remaining Democratic candidate. With one Democrat leaving the race, Kreiss-Tomkins may consolidate messaging and supporters who had been divided between the two Democrats following the open primary’s outcome.

Alaska’s use of an open primary means the general-election contenders can come from different party groupings than voters may expect after early campaign seasons. In this case, Begich and Kreiss-Tomkins both reached the general election from the open primary, and Begich’s withdrawal changes only the Democratic side of that final ballot picture rather than the structure of Alaska’s election process.

No additional details about Begich’s reasons for withdrawing were included in the account provided by The Hill beyond the announcement itself and the endorsement of Kreiss-Tomkins. The next steps for the campaign and party supporters will depend on how Kreiss-Tomkins incorporates the endorsement into public outreach in the run-up to the general election.