# One Race Late. The limit and the money it missed. > 105 top Alaska donors match what six Bay Area donors gave governor candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Published 2026-09-05 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-09-05/ ## The story It takes 105 Alaska donors to match six people Outside. Six gifts. $372,000. Every one from the Bay Area. At this distance the median Alaska gift is a whole gift. Alaska sent most of the gifts. Not most of the money. 86 donors carried 72.81 percent of it. 117,962 to 45,418. The same ink, twice. The money went to the candidate who wants data centers stopped. Four tickets. Old rules. ## What we verified - Drake Thomas of Berkeley, California, who lists Anthropic as his employer and Member of Technical Staff as his occupation, gave the Kreiss-Tomkins campaign $100,000 on May 7th, 2026 by electronic funds transfer. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Daniel Ziegler of Berkeley, California, who lists Anthropic PBC as his employer and Machine Learning Researcher as his occupation, gave $70,000 on February 4th, 2026. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Jan Leike of San Francisco, California, who lists Anthropic as his employer and Technical Staff as his occupation, gave $70,000 on March 27th, 2026. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Steven Bills of San Francisco, California, who lists Anthropic as his employer and AI Researcher as his occupation, gave $50,000 on February 4th, 2026. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Evan Hubinger of Alameda, California, who lists Anthropic as his employer and Research Scientist as his occupation, gave $50,000 on February 4th, 2026. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Tao Lin of Berkeley, California, who lists Anthropic as his employer and Technical Staff Member as his occupation, gave $32,000 on February 3rd, 2026. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - The six gifts from people who list Anthropic or Anthropic PBC as their employer total $372,000. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - All six of those gifts arrived by electronic funds transfer. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - All six donors list San Francisco Bay Area addresses, three in Berkeley, two in San Francisco and one in Alameda. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - The six gifts were made between February 3rd and May 7th, 2026, every one of them before the August 18th primary. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - The campaign's 2026 disclosure record holds 4,604 transactions totalling $2,379,290.20, which makes the six gifts 15.63 percent of everything it raised. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Alaska addresses supplied 2,705 of the 4,604 gifts, 58.75 percent of the count, and $632,035.75, 26.56 percent of the money. The median Alaska gift is $50. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - California addresses supplied $969,843.36, more than Alaska's $632,035.75, and that gap exists because of the six gifts. Net of them California supplied $597,843.36, which is less than Alaska. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - It takes the 105 largest Alaska donors, summing to $372,960.85, to match what the six gave. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - 86 donors gave more than $4,000 in total and supplied $1,732,397.04, 72.81 percent of the money. Sixteen of the 86 are Alaskan and seventy are not. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Anthropic is the largest named employer in the record at $372,000, more than twice the next one, Jane Street at $155,000. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - The same record holds $70,000 across two gifts from Eli Lifland of the AI Futures Project and $20,000 from Eric Neyman of the Alignment Research Center, so the AI money in this campaign is wider than one company. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Bernadette Wilson, who finished third in the primary, raised $499,391.31 across 2,379 transactions, of which 53.15 percent came from Alaska addresses. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Alaska ballot initiative 23RCF2 is titled An Act restoring campaign contribution limits for campaigns for state and local office, and its sponsors are Bruce Botelho, David Monson and Calvin Schrage. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/?initiative_id=23RCF2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - The measure passed with 117,962 votes in favour and 45,418 against, and the Division of Elections lists its status as approved by voters. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/?initiative_id=23RCF2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Those counts are 72.20 percent in favour and 27.80 percent against, of 163,380 votes cast on the measure. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/?initiative_id=23RCF2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - The measure sets a limit of $2,000 each election cycle on what an individual may give a candidate. [Alaska Division of Elections, 23RCF2 bill text](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/petition_id/23rcf2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - For a joint governor and lieutenant governor ticket the individual limit is $4,000 each election cycle rather than $2,000, and the limit for a group is $8,000. [Alaska Division of Elections, 23RCF2 bill text](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/petition_id/23rcf2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Measured against that $4,000 limit the six gifts run from 8 times it to 25 times it, and together they equal 93 maximum contributions. [Alaska Division of Elections, 23RCF2 bill text](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/petition_id/23rcf2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Zac Johnson finished first in the August 18th, 2026 governor primary with 37,006 votes, 22.5 percent of 164,303 cast across seventeen tickets. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/election-results/e/?id=26prim), primary document, 2026-08-31. - Four tickets are certified for the November 3rd, 2026 general election, Bronson and Church, Kreiss-Tomkins and Johnson, Taylor and English, and Wilson and Shower. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicka, who finished second in the primary with 34,172 votes, are not on that certified general election list. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - The measure's own applicability section says it does not apply to contributions made to influence the outcome of any election that occurred on or before its effective date. [Alaska Division of Elections, 23RCF2 bill text](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/petitions-and-ballot-measures/petition-status/petition_id/23rcf2), primary document, 2026-09-06. - The six Anthropic employer donors are not the six largest donors to the campaign. The six largest carry 24.38 percent of the money against the Anthropic bloc's 15.63 percent. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - 3,262 donors appear in the record, and the 86 who gave more than $4,000 are exactly the 86 largest. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Of the 4,604 transactions in the record, 4,588 are positive contributions and the remainder are refunds or adjustments, which is why the gross of the positive gifts, $2,389,277.70, is higher than the net of $2,379,290.20. [Alaska Public Offices Commission](https://aws.state.ak.us/ApocReports/CampaignDisclosure/CDIncome.aspx), primary document, 2026-09-05. - Dave Bronson and Josh Church are certified for the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot for governor and lieutenant governor. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Treg Taylor and Candi English are certified for the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot for governor and lieutenant governor. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Bernadette M. Wilson and Michael K. Shower are certified for the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot for governor and lieutenant governor. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Zac Johnson are certified for the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot for governor and lieutenant governor. [Alaska Division of Elections](https://www.elections.alaska.gov/candidates/?election=26genr), primary document, 2026-09-06. - The measure's limits are adjusted for inflation once a decade. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. - Alaska Public Media reported on the night of the vote that the measure would take effect after the November general election. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. - The August 18th primary was the only vote Alaskans got on the measure. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. - Alaska has had no limit on individual campaign contributions since a federal appeals court ruling in 2021 that declared the state's voter approved $500 per year limit unconstitutionally low. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. - Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill passed by the Legislature in 2026 that sought identical limits, saying it would not do enough to limit self funded candidates from donating to their own campaigns. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. - Kreiss-Tomkins has proposed banning data centre construction in Alaska until the Legislature passes comprehensive regulation on data centre development. [The San Francisco Standard, Emily Shugerman](https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/31/anthropic-employees-alaska-governor-race-kreiss-tomkins/), report, 2026-08-31. - Asked about the donations, Kreiss-Tomkins said he failed to give full appreciation to the optics of this, and that having known Thomas and the work of these other folks for a while, it was like, oh, these are the good guys. [The San Francisco Standard, Emily Shugerman](https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/31/anthropic-employees-alaska-governor-race-kreiss-tomkins/), report, 2026-08-31. - Kreiss-Tomkins did not respond to the San Francisco Standard's request for comment, so the remark above is his only published response. [The San Francisco Standard, Emily Shugerman](https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/31/anthropic-employees-alaska-governor-race-kreiss-tomkins/), report, 2026-08-31. - Anthropic the company is not reported to have said anything about the donations, and the gifts are from individuals rather than from the company. [The San Francisco Standard, Emily Shugerman](https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/31/anthropic-employees-alaska-governor-race-kreiss-tomkins/), report, 2026-08-31. - No published account reports that any of the six donors asked for or received a policy, a meeting, a job or any other favour. [The San Francisco Standard, Emily Shugerman](https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/31/anthropic-employees-alaska-governor-race-kreiss-tomkins/), report, 2026-08-31. - The six gifts were lawful when they were made, because Alaska had no individual contribution limit at the time. [Alaska Public Media, Eric Stone](https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-08-18/campaign-finance-ballot-measure-passing-by-wide-margin), report, 2026-08-18. Slides and the deck PDF are linked from the canonical page.