After successfully emerging from the state’s recent primary, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be on the ballot in Alaska’s tight race to fill the state’s sole seat in the House of Representatives, left vacant by the passing of Rep. Don Young.
Alaska’s congressional election will be decided using ranked-choice for the first time in state history. Palin is one of four candidates that will be on the ballot for voters to rank, per NBC News.
Young had been in Congress for 49 years, per The New Yorker, making him “the longest-serving Republican in congressional history,” according to NBC News.
What has Sarah Palin been doing since her vice presidential bid?
Palin served as Alaska’s governor from 2006 to 2009. Her arrival on the national political stage came in 2008 when she was selected as running mate for Republican John McCain’s presidential run.
Here are some of the things that Palin has done in the 13 years following the 2008 election:
- After leaving her office as governor in 2009, ABC news reported Palin made various television and book deals as well as many speaking appearances. In doing so, ABC said she made an estimated $12 million.
- According to the NPR, in 2010 Palin considered running for president in 2012 and she told ABC News’s Barbra Walters she believed she could beat President Obama. However, in 2011 The Guardian reported Palin chose not to run.
- In 2016, Palin endorsed Donald Trump for president at an Iowa campaign stop. The New York Times reported that this endorsement provided a significant boost to Trump before the state’s caucuses.
- Palin filed a libel suit against The New York Times after she claimed her reputation was damaged after an editorial released in 2017 linked her to a mass shooting, according to The New York Times. Palin lost the suit after the jury concluded The Times had not acted with the ill intent require for public figures.
What are people saying about Palin’s Congressional run?
Former President Trump vocalized his support for Palin when she launched her campaign, per the National Review, “Wonderful patriot Sarah Palin just announced that she is running for Congress, and that means there will be a true America First fighter on the ballot.”
According to The New York Times, Palin’s candidacy has “stirred debate.”
“I will not vote until I’ve spent time doing a little more research,” Alaska resident Joelle Sanches told The New York Times.