Could Sarah Palin Really Be Returning To A Career In Politics?
In 2008, Sarah Palin (and the rest of her family, namely Bristol Palin) became a household name when the little-known Alaska governor was plucked from obscurity to be John McCain's running mate in his presidential bid against Barack Obama. Palin quickly began overshadowing the man at the top of the ticket with her controversial campaign trail speeches. In one speech, she famously declared that small town Americans are the "real Americans" and that small towns are also the "pro-America areas of this great nation." She later apologized for the comments (via The Washington Post) and did not go on to become the country's first female vice president.
In fact, soon after the 2008 election, Palin left her career in politics when she resigned from the Alaska governorship with 18 months left in her term in July of 2009, according to The New York Times. She went on to make money through book deals, speaking engagements, and a reality television series for TLC called "Sarah Palin's Alaska." She also became a Fox News contributor (via Biography). Now, with the 2022 midterms on the horizon, Palin is hinting that she might make a return to politics and run for a seat in the United States Senate.
Will Sarah Palin take on Lisa Murkowski to win her Senate seat?
In 2022, longtime Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is up for re-election. Murkowski managed to pull off a rare feat in Alaska in 2010 when she ran as a write-in candidate and won after she lost her primary to Tea Party candidate Joe Miller (via The New York Times). She won the general election and served another term in 2016. Now, Sarah Palin is thinking of taking her on, but she'd have to beat her in the primary first.
"If God wants me to do it, I will," Palin said when speaking with New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn, according to USA Today.
Calling Washington, D.C. a bubble, Palin said it would be a "sacrifice" to have to live there, but she would do it. However, she also stipulated that religious groups that didn't defend her in 2008 would have to come through. "If I were going to announce, what I would do is say 'OK, you guys better really be there for me this time," she said.
Palin also acknowledged that the primary would be crowded, with Murkowski trying to keep her seat and Donald Trump-backed candidate Kelly Tshibaka already in the race. "You know, there's a female Republican who's already jumped in the race. Kind of the scary thing is that I've been in politics all my life, up in Alaska, and I'd never heard of her, so that made me hesitant," Palin added (via USA Today).