Gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins holds a campaign sign on the morning of Aug. 18, 2026, Alaska's primary election day. Kreiss-Tomkins and his supporters spent part of the morning at the intersection of Northern Lights Boulevard and Minnesota Drive in West Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
This article is developing and will be updated.
Democratic governor candidates Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, and Republican candidates Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson led in early vote counting for Alaska’s Tuesday primary election for governor.
Seventeen people, including two Democrats, 12 Republicans and three independents, are seeking to replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited and unable to run again this year.
As of 10 p.m., with 242 of 403 precincts reporting results from election day, Kreiss-Tomkins had 21.6% of the vote, Begich had 19.6%, Wilson had 10.9% and Bronson had 8.6%.
The first candidate outside the top four was Republican Treg Taylor, with 7.6%, followed by Republican Click Bishop, with 6.8%.
Ballot-counting is expected to continue through Aug. 28, the deadline for mailed absentee ballots to reach the Alaska Division of Elections.
Turnout on election day appeared to be high; with only 60% of precincts reporting results, participation was already above the 2024 primary and inching toward the near-record turnout of 2022, when the primary coincided with a special election to fill out the term of U.S. Rep. Don Young, who had died in the spring.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
