When Sarah Palin announced her candidacy for Congress, she did so via her website and then filed her statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. Palin recently spoke with former President Donald Trump, who encouraged her to run for office. However, the Palin campaign has yet to respond to a request for comment. In the meantime, here are some things to keep an eye on.
In the Alaska congressional special primary, she faces Nick Begich III, a businessman with ties to the state. His father was a former Congressman who disappeared in 1972. While he’s a Republican, his father was a Democrat. He’s raised more than $1.2 million, but Palin has national endorsements and state political leaders backing her campaign. If she wins the special election, she’ll be the only Alaskan to be endorsed by both Trump and other presidential candidates.
A winning finish in this special primary may not be enough to guarantee a victory in the General, however. Historically, Alaska’s only House seat has been held by one person for a very long time. As a result, the special election to replace Don Young is the first to be held under a new election system that involves a nonpartisan primary. The top four vote-getters will proceed to the general election, where the winners will be determined by ranked-choice voting.
As the Republican Vice President nominee in 2008, Palin has the largest national political profile. She also served as a member of the Legislature and is a former governor. The seat occupied by Rep. Don Young was up for re-election when he died last month. The special primary will use ranked-choice voting, in line with the new 2020 elections system.
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