Sarah Palin will attempt a political comeback Tuesday in Alaska's at-large U.S. House race more than a decade after she left the state's governor's mansion. Despite the support of former President Donald Trump and high name recognition in Alaska, a win for Palin is far from guaranteed.
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Palin ran unsuccessfully for vice president as the late Sen. John McCain's running mate in 2008 and resigned as governor the following year before finishing her single term.
After the death of Alaska's longtime GOP Rep. Don Young earlier this year, Palin entered the race for Alaska's only House seat with Trump's backing in a so-called jungle primary that attracted dozens of candidates. Young held the seat for nearly five decades, most of Alaska's entire history as a state.
The race isn't just a test case for Palin but also for Alaska's new ranked-choice voting system, which allows four candidates to advance from a primary election.
The special election and its primary were the first elections under the new system, in which voters rank candidates in their order of preference rather than simply choose one candidate. The last-place candidates are eliminated, with their voters' subsequent choices then going to their next choice's tally. The process goes on for as many rounds as it takes until one candidate reaches a 50%-plus-one-vote threshold and is declared the winner.
The special election includes Republican businessman Nick Begich III and Democrat Mary Peltola as well. Independent candidate Al Gross, who also emerged from the primary, said shortly thereafter that he would withdraw.
Although Palin placed first in the primary, late July polling suggests that her path to Congress will not be smooth. In a field narrowed down to three candidates, a poll by Alaska Survey Research found that Palin was trailing her rivals as voters' first choice, with Peltola at 41%, Begich at 30%, and Palin at 29%. But in a race narrowed down to two candidates, Begich leads Peltola, while Palin trails her.
Palin has low approval ratings in Alaska stemming from her early departure as governor in what was seen as an effort to maintain her national profile and political celebrity. Palin was the star of a short-lived reality television show about her life in Alaska after she left office.
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Palin is on the ballot for both the special election to finish out Young's term as well as the primary for a two-year term that begins in January. The results of the election will likely take several weeks due to the way Alaska counts absentee ballots.
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Tags: Midterms 2022, News, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Alaska
Original Author: Kate Scanlon
Original Location: Sarah Palin attempts political comeback in Alaska House race