Former Alaska Governor, 2008 Vice Presidential nominee and conservative firebrand Sarah Palin has announced that she will be running for congress, making her comeback into politics after over a decade long hiatus.
Palin announced her intentions to run for the vacated seat of the late Rep. Don Young who died suddenly last month at the age of 88 while traveling to Alaska.
In a statement issued Friday, Palin said “Today I’m announcing my candidacy for the U.S. House seat representing Alaska. Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years. I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Rep. Young’s legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America.”
Palin, 58, has been a firebrand in Republican politics ever since the late Senator John McCain selected her as his Vice Presidential running mate in the 2008 Presidential election. She has established a brand of stoking anti-establishment sentiment and has spent many years being skeptical of what she calls the “liberal media”.
Palin has not served in any political office since 2009, after losing the 2008 Presidential election to Barack Obama and President Joe Biden, when she resigned from her job as Governor of Alaska citing pressure and financial constraints amid an ethics investigation that found she abused her power while in office. Palin has spent much of the last decade going to Republican Party events, bashing Democrat positions, and taking media jobs, specifically at Fox News.
Palin has repeatedly flirted with the idea of running for office after she resigned from the Governorship. She reportedly considering another run for Governor and she was also encouraged by the right wing of the Republican Party to launch a primary challenge against moderate Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), but never did. When asked about running for Representative Don Young’s seat, Palin said “If I were asked to serve in the House and take his place, I would be humbled and honored,” She continued “In a heartbeat, I would.”
Palin joins a field of 51 candidates running to fill the vacancy, and the Anchorage Daily News reports that the number of candidates in the GOP primary is more than twice as large as that of any other primary election in Alaskan history, but Palin has significant name recognition as a household name, she is the most recognizable name in the field.
The special primary election will be held on June 11 and then the top four candidates will proceed to the special general election, scheduled for August 16, which is the same day as Alaska’s statewide planned Primary elections. Alaskan voters will use ranked choice voting to determine the winner of the general election.