Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) secured a spot in her state’s ranked-choice general election. Palin is running to become the state’s lone US congressional representative in the House. She’s one of four candidates looking to occupy the seat previously held by longtime Rep. Don Young (R) who passed away in March.
Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, was one of the first in the GOP to support former President Donald Trump in his 2016 presidential campaign. At a July 9, 2022 rally in Anchorage, the former president endorsed Palin.
“Sarah, I’m here to say, I like you best,” Trump said. “I know your opponents and I like you way better.”
Her return to politics comes after years on reality TV and entertainment shows. It also comes at a time when the Republican Party is fractured. It’s a political environment Palin is comfortable in. During the Obama years, Palin threw her support behind the Tea Party.
“We’re saying the big government, big debt, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid spending spree is over. You’re fired,” Palin exclaimed to a group ofTea Party supporters at a rally on March 29, 2010.
Palin said this time around her campaign platform will focus on U.S. energy. “It’s pretty ironic that the needs of our nation are things that Alaska can fulfill,” Palin said in an interview on Fox News. “Energy, energy independence, security.”