Politics | John McCain Palin Backed 'Bridge to Nowhere' in Governor's Race By Laurel Jorgensen Posted Aug 31, 2008 7:05 PM CDT Copied John McCain listens as his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, speaks during a campaign rally Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008, in O'Fallon, Mo. (AP Photo) Sarah Palin bragged yesterday about opposing a nearly $400 million pork barrel project that, it turns out, she initially supported, the AP reports. Palin did slam the so-called "bridge to nowhere" after becoming governor of Alaska 2 years ago. But on the campaign trail, she was all for the bridge linking an Alaskan town to an island with 50 residents and an airport. “This link is a commitment to help Ketchikan expand its access, to help this community prosper,” Palin said while campaigning. Funds for the bridge were included as an earmark in a federal bill and later became a symbol of egregious congressional spending. Palin’s press secretary says she was only lukewarm about the project as a gubernatorial candidate. Read These Next Matt Damon on being 'canceled': It 'just never ends.' Greenland is less cash cow and more money pit. An NFL team owner just became the biggest private landowner in the US. Indeed ranks the best US jobs for 2026. Report an error