Democrat wins Alaska Governor race for first time since 1998

WASHINGTON: For the first time since 1998, the Democrats have won the gubernatorial election in the United States (US) state of Alaska, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing media.

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, beat three Republican candidates, CNN reported based on the vote count. Other US outlets reported his victory too.

He is set to become the youngest governor in the history of Alaska, according to his website.

With his election victory, the Democrats will in future hold 30 of the 50 governorships in the US – the highest number since 1993.

That means they will once again hold a majority for the first time since 2010. Some three-quarters of the US population will then live in states with Democratic governors.

Kreiss-Tomkins received around 51 per cent of first-preference votes under the system in Alaska, according to preliminary results.

In Alaska, voters can select several candidates in their order of preference. Among his three Republican rivals was Bernadette Wilson, who was backed by US President Donald Trump.

Republican US Senator Lisa Murkowski, however, had surprisingly come out in support of Kreiss-Tomkins.

Kreiss-Tomkins previously served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives for around 10 years.

He succeeds the Republican Mike Dunleavy, who was barred from standing for re-election after two terms in office.