Sarah Palin’s comeback in Alaska failed for the time being

Surprise in Alaska: For the first time in almost half a century, the largest American state in terms of area is sending a Democrat to the House of Representatives in Washington. Longtime local politician Mary Peltola won 51.5 percent of the vote in a by-election scheduled after the death of longtime Republican Rep. Don Young on March 18, 2022. Peltola thus defeated what is probably the state’s most famous politician, former governor Sarah Palin (58), who made international headlines in 2008 with her candidacy for vice presidency. Peltola, who celebrated her 49th birthday on Wednesday, will now represent Alaska in the grand chamber of Congress through at least the end of the year.

New voting system gives voters multiple votes

This year, for the first time, a two-tier system was used to vote for the only representative Alaska can send to the national House of Representatives. Accordingly, in June voters made a first selection from the field of candidates, which included almost 50 candidates; the three candidates with the most votes ran in a runoff on August 16. In this second round, voters not only cast a vote for their preferred candidate; they could also indicate which candidate they would prefer in a second round.

Peltola therefore benefited from the fact that the two Republicans she faced in the runoff did not like each other. She led the first count by almost 76,000 votes (40.2 percent), while Palin had about 59,000 votes (31.3 percent). The almost 54,000 voters for Conservative Nick Begich, a descendant of a clan of well-known (Democratic) politicians, were decisive in the match.

And although Palin is ideologically closer to these voters, only around 27,000 gave their second vote to the ex-governor. On the other hand, just over 15,400 voters chose Peltola, a Democrat who is a member of the Yup’ik indigenous people and grew up in the Alaskan bush. The remainder of Begich voters cast a blank or invalid ballot, the Alaska Board of Elections announced Wednesday.

Palin was once considered the upcoming presidential candidate

Palin was considered the rising star of the Republican Party a little over 10 years ago. Elected governor in 2006, the former local politician in Juneau, the Alaskan capital, was the down-to-earth, fearless reformer. The big waves she threw were also registered in distant Washington. On the advice of conservative whisperers, Republican presidential candidate John McCain therefore appointed the young head of government as his deputy in the summer of 2008.

In the fight for the White House, Palin, a natural political talent, caused a sensation, also thanks to her violent attacks on Democrat Barack Obama. And although the Republican ticket ultimately lost the election; today it is undisputed that Palin, with her mixture of populism, bigotry and entertainment, paved the way for the future President Donald Trump.

The break came in the summer of 2009, when Palin surprisingly announced her resignation as governor. Instead, she wanted to make money as a Fox News Channel commentator and book author. Palin also toyed with running for the next presidential election. But those plans fizzled out after a series of bizarre private escapades; At some point, right-wing activists also lost interest in Palin, and it became quiet around “Sarah from Wasilla”, the normal mother from the Anchorage metropolitan area.

Alaska never forgave her resignation

But her homeland never forgave her. Alaskan voters couldn’t understand why Palin had quit after just two and a half years as governor. And although she was also supported in her comeback by Trump, who flew to Alaska, Palin suffered from her unpopularity during the election campaign. In an initial reaction, she was therefore “not surprised” at her defeat, for which she blamed the new electoral system. She also said, “I believe God prepared me for such an outcome, believe it or not.”

Palin also called on her fellow party member Begich (who was financially supported by her ex-husband Todd Palin’s family) to withdraw his candidacy. Because Palin hasn’t completely failed with her comeback. Because in November, Alaska’s only seat in the House of Representatives is up for election again, this time for the two-year term of office that begins in January 2023. And again in the runoff Peltola, Palin and Begich will face each other. Because the Democrat is now the incumbent, she enters this race with a small bonus.