{"id":2651728,"date":"2026-08-29T12:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaska-democrat-drops-out-of-governor-race-citing-funding-concerns\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T12:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:44:27","slug":"alaska-democrat-drops-out-of-governor-race-citing-funding-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alaska-democrat-drops-out-of-governor-race-citing-funding-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Alaska Democrat drops out of governor race, citing funding concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falaska-democrat-drops-out-of-governor-race-citing-funding-concerns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2651728&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Alaska Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich withdrew from his bid to become governor, endorsing fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-tomkins. Begich cited insufficient fundraising and the strategic advantage of uniting Democratic voters as reasons for his decision. With Begich\u2019s withdrawal, Kreiss-Tomkins remains the sole Democrat in the race, facing Republican candidates Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson.In the primary, Kreiss-Tomkins led with 22.5%, Begich had 20.8%, Wilson secured 10%, and Bronson 8.1%. Both Wilson and Bronson emphasized the importance of party unity ahead of the November election. The gubernatorial race is part of a broader election to replace outgoing Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy, whose seat is currently rated as Likely Republican by the Cook Political Report.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alaska\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"960\">Alaska<\/a> Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich dropped his bid to be the state\u2019s next governor on Friday, endorsing the only other Democrat in the four-person general election race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Begich, who finished second among the top four candidates in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4685395\/alaska-primary-elections-what-to-know-double-dans-several-candidates-toss-up\/\">Alaska\u2019s open gubernatorial primary<\/a>, cited his reason for dropping out as a lack of sufficient fundraising and the available opportunity to coalesce Democratic voters around a single candidate. With Begich dropping from the race, it leaves Democratic former State Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who finished in first place in the open primary, as the sole Democratic candidate left to face off against Republicans Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4702374\/trump-faces-warning-signs-among-women-ahead-of-midterm-elections-poll\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump faces warning signs among women ahead of midterm elections: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4701548\/ro-khanna-democrats-stop-wasting-time-hasan-piker\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ro Khanna urges Democrats to \u2018stop wasting time attacking Hasan Piker\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4701131\/gop-appeal-campaign-finance-supreme-court\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>GOP appeals campaign finance setback to Supreme Court<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen so many Alaskans are already stretched thin, we cannot keep asking them to give more and more just to compete with much larger amounts of money flowing into politics in Alaska. Running this campaign through November would take millions more than we have,\u201d Begich said in a video message.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken with the other leading Democrat in this race. He shared data, and we\u2019ve reviewed our own internal information. And the data we\u2019ve seen makes clear that the strongest path to winning in November is not two Democratic candidates competing for the same donors and resources. It\u2019s bringing those people together behind one ticket,\u201d Begich continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Begich and his running mate, former Biden administration official Julia Hnilicka, endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins in the message, with Hnilicka saying \u201cstakes are too high to ignore this reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kreiss-Tomkins will now be the only Democrat running against Republicans Wilson and Bronson, setting up a split of the Republican vote while Democrats have one ticket to choose.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Aug. 18 primary, Kreiss-Tomkins won 22.5% of the vote, Begich won 20.8% of the vote, Wilson won 10% of the vote, and Bronson won 8.1% of the vote. There were about 10 other GOP candidates who ran in the primary and three independents, while Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich were the only Democrats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Wilson earned the top GOP spot in the open primary, she wrote on X, calling for unity under the Republican ticket as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith 12 hardworking and qualified Republican candidates, coming in first place took a tremendous effort that\u2019s now paid off. It\u2019s time for our party to unite and focus on stopping the far left from turning Alaska into California. Our state can rise again, but it\u2019s going to take common sense conservative leadership from outside the stale bureaucratic system \u2013 and that\u2019s what I\u2019m offering to voters in November,\u201d Wilson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bernadette4Gov\/status\/2089979926334382553?s=20\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an Aug. 26 statement, Bronson and his running mate, Josh Church, announced that they are staying in the race as they\u2019re 8.1% of the vote, \u201ccombined with the other Republican candidates who ran for governor, represent roughly 80 percent of the Republican primary vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe hear the calls for unity, and we are answering them. We are staying in this race because we believe Alaskans deserve a choice, and we believe there is a winning coalition of conservatives, Republicans, Independents, and nonpartisan Alaskans who want proven leadership, responsible resource development, smaller government, and a governor who will put Alaska first,\u201d Bronson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Alaska4Bronson\/status\/2092716975021760617?s=20\">said<\/a>, before Begich dropped from the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698006\/third-dan-sullivan-alaska-senate-race-endorsement\/\">THIRD DAN SULLIVAN WEIGHS IN ON UNPRECEDENTED ALASKA SENATE RACE WITH ENDORSEMENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The election is being held to replace term-limited Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/404458\/midterm-results-alaska-gov-mike-dunleavy-secures-a-second-term-under-states-new-voting-system\/\">Mike Dunleavy<\/a> (R-AK), a Republican who won with 50.3% of the vote in 2022 against one other Republican, one Democrat, and one Independent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of April 2026, <em>Cook Political Report<\/em> rated the seat Likely Republican.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Begich drops out, backs Kreiss-Tomkins in Alaska governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2651729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/begich-bitcoin-reserve.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[52920,4912,84857,37411],"class_list":["post-2651728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-alaska-2","tag-democrat","tag-funding-concerns","tag-governor-race"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/begich-bitcoin-reserve.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2651728"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2651731,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651728\/revisions\/2651731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2651729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2651728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2651728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2651728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}