Sarah Palin has been a part of the political scene for years. She was the governor of Alaska long before she was the running mate of John McCain. After being out of politics for several years, she decided that it was time to dip her toes back in.
And it seems that people have missed the honesty that comes with Palin being in politics.
There are four spots on the ballot up for grabs in Alaska, and the former governor has made a play for one of them.
With the primary elections coming to an end, she’ll be on the November ballot along with two of her challengers.
There’s still a lot of work to be done on Palin’s end and that’s because of who her challengers are. Nick Begich III is a tech millionaire who is backed by the Alaskan Republican Party. The other is Mary Peltota, a Democrat who used to be a state legislator. The other candidate was not yet identified at the time of this being written.
Now, all four of the candidates, which includes Palin, will be fighting it out over the next few months to prove to Alaskans who are worthy of filling the one open seat in the House. The seat opened up as a result of Don Young’s death in March.
Palin, Peltota, and Begich III were also competing in the special election to determine who would finish serving out Young’s term, which will end early in 2023.
As for who will win the special election, it is currently looking like it will be Peltota, but it could take a few days to get the final results. This is the first time that Alaskan voters are using a ranked voting system.
Young’s seat isn’t an easy one to fill. He was elected into his House position in 1973 and was the longest-serving Republican in the House. For nearly 50 years, he held the only seat for Alaska in the chamber.
What’s interesting about what’s happening in Alaska is that we get to see what kind of influence Donald Trump still has within the state.
Senator Lisa Murkowski had to face 18 challengers within the primaries. Trump has called Murkowski out on multiple occasions as being a RINO. He has chosen to throw his support behind candidate Kelly Tshibaka.
Additionally, Palin has chosen to make her comeback by making appearances at various Trump rallies and fundraisers. He has backed her publicly, which shows that he’s at odds with the Alaska Republican Party since they have thrown their support behind Begich III.
Palin is definitely the household name when you look at the House candidates, but is that enough? Is it enough that she has the support of Donald Trump? It might be too soon to tell. Some Alaskans feel as though she abandoned the state when she quit her governorship.
Some also view Palin as a media whore, especially once she left politics in pursuit of various reality TV shows. The icing on the cake may have been when she dressed up as a bear and sang “Baby’s Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot on The Masked Singer.
Is Palin capable of showing voters that she’s serious about heading back to DC? That’s still the question that many are asking.
As one voter, Audra Jackson explained, she wants a candidate who shows that they’re dedicated to the state at all times, not just during elections. Specifically, regarding Palin, she said, “Palin is probably the most attractive, charismatic candidate out there, but when she’s asked any specific questions, all I hear from her are soundbites. So it just surprises me that she’s got the popularity.”
Watching Palin take on Pelosi in the House could certainly make for some quality entertainment. However, is it what’s best for the people of Alaska and for the Republicans as a whole? Only time will tell.
