Photo credit: Alamy
On Friday, Sarah Palin, Alaska’s former governor and the first female GOP vice presidential nominee, announced her candidacy for the U.S. House seat representing Alaska, aiming to claim a vacancy left by the late Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska.
According to a report from the Washington Examiner, Rep. Young passed away on March 18, and was the longest-serving House Republican in the history of the United States.
Many conservative voters likely recall Palin from her days running for vice president alongside the late Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008 against then-Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden.
In an official statement posted on Twitter, Palin said that “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.” A press release from her campaign office went into more detail, expanding on her reasoning for running for Congress:
“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. I first entered politics 30 years ago, when I was elected to city council in Wasilla. I still live in Wasilla; my family is here; my son goes to school here. My heart will always be in Alaska, even when I’m representing this great state in Washington D.C.”
Additionally, Palin decried the current chaotic state of American politics in her statement, citing that “America is at a tipping point,” and noting that the nation was at a “critical time.” She added that the U.S. needs leaders who will combat the left’s “socialist, big-government, America-last agenda.”
She concluded, “I’m in this race to win and join the fight for freedom alongside other patriots willing to sacrifice all to save our country.”
