There were April Fools' jokes aplenty on Friday, but news from Sarah Palin doesn't appear to have been one of them. The former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate announced she's running for her state's only seat in the US House of Representatives, a seat left open by the late Rep. Don Young after his service of nearly 50 years. Palin, 58, a Republican, will be vying against nearly 40 other candidates after the death of the 88-year-old Young last month, which the New York Times notes "has spurred one of the largest political shifts in the state in 50 years."
"America is at a tipping point," Palin said in a statement after filing her application to run. "As I've watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight." Among Palin's current gripes are high inflation and gas prices, as well as illegal immigration. A special primary for Young's seat will take place on June 11, followed by a special general election on Aug. 16. CNN notes this election will be a first for Alaska, in which all the candidates will appear on a single ballot in the primary, and then the top four from that election will go on to the general. In the general, a ranked-choice voting system will be used.
Palin has been out of the official political arena for some time, not seeking any elected office since she ran for vice president as John McCain's running mate in 2008. In 2009, the Wasilla resident resigned as Alaska's governor, and since then, she's made the rounds speaking at GOP conventions. The Times notes this latest move "[marks] her return to national politics after she helped revive the anti-establishment rhetoric that has come to define the Republican Party." (Palin last made headlines earlier this year for her legal battle with the Times, as well as for dining at New York City restaurants while infected with COVID.)
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