Sarah Palin Announces Attendance for Alaska Congress

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and a conservative agitator who helped fuel the anti-establishment sentiment that has engulfed the party since running alongside the late Senator John McCain years ago, said in a statement that she intended to “honor” the nearly five decades Young served in Congress by “sacrificing myself in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for.”

“America is at a tipping point,” she says. “When I watched the far-left ravage the country, I knew I had to stand up and join the fray.”

Palin joins a crowded field of candidates to succeed Young, the longtime Alaska representative who died last month at age 88. Although she is years away from her last election chance, she is competing as a household name in the state.

A special primary will be held on June 11 and the special general election will be held on August 16, the same day as the statewide primary in Alaska. The contests will be the first to use the state’s new electoral system, with all candidates on a single vote in the primaries and the top four candidates advancing to the general election.

In the general election, the winning candidate is determined by ranking based voting.

Since running for vice president, Palin has not sought another elected office, even though the party has turned to rhetoric that has made her stand out as a vice presidential pick.

In 2009, shortly after she and McCain lost to then Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Palin resigned as Alaska governor, citing the pressures and financial constraints that came with a host of ethical complaints. Since then, Palin has become a fixture on the Republican convention circuit, appearing regularly at large rallies of Republican activists to challenge Democrats. And she was a much sought-after endorsement for some Republican hopefuls, including Donald Trump when he successfully ran for president in 2016.

Palin has teased a potential bid in recent media appearances.

“There’s a time and a season for everything and if this season is one where I need a more official platform, yes, I’ll throw in my hat because we need people who have cojones,” she said. said Fox. “We need people like Donald Trump who has nothing to lose, like me.”

This story was updated Friday with additional details.

Ethan Cohen of DailyExpertNews contributed to this report.