Live Updates: 2026 midterm campaigns make final push before Election Day as early voters hit the polls

Updated on: October 28, 2026 / 7:25 AM EDT / CBS News

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has bucked President Trump and the GOP, on Tuesday backed the Democratic candidate for governor in Alaska, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who is widely referred to as JKT.

"JKT is a young Alaskan with a view and a perspective that I think Alaska needs right now," Murkowski told Anchorage's KTUU-TV on Tuesday.

She said Kriess-Tomkins will "work with the legislature," adding that will be important for the state's at-large representative and senators in Washington, D.C. In a news release, Murkowski encouraged "Alaskans of every political stripe, whether Republicans, independents, or Democrats" to consider Kriess-Tomkins, adding "Alaska needs leaders who will put our state first, and I'm proud to support them."

Murkowski said she has "found fault" with the current GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration. Dunleavy is prevented from running for reelection due to term limits.

"I think that they have left federal money on the table," Murkowski said of Dunleavy. "I think in certain areas, where we have worked hard to put opportunities from the federal side, here, into the state, the state has failed with it."

Kriess-Tomkins has three Republican challengers on the ballot…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/