- Sarah Palin said her focus will be on Alaska if she wins a special election to represent the state in Congress.
- Palin sought to shoo away concerns that she wouldn't be a serious lawmaker or would be looking for another gig.
- "It would be all about Alaska," Palin told the Associated Press of her campaign.
Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said that if she wins a seat in Congress, her focus will be on the people of Alaska, comments that come as her political comeback is greeted with an icy reception in some quarters of the state and Republican Party about whether she would be a serious lawmaker.
Palin told the Associated Press that her fame would be an asset, not a liability for the state, adding she could "pick up the phone and call any reporter and be on any show if I wanted to, and it would be all about Alaska."
"I love to work, and anyone who is around me, they know," she told the AP in an interview published on Wednesday. "What I'm doing is applying for a job, for Alaskans, saying: 'Hey, you guys would be my boss. Do you want to hire me? Because if you do, I'll do a good job for you, and I won't back down.'"
Addressing her critics, Palin said she has "nothing to lose" and added "what more can they say?"
Former President Donald Trump quickly endorsed Palin's bid to replace Rep. Don Young, who became the longest-serving Republican in House history while representing Alaska for nearly half a century. But other Alaskans have told reporters they aren't so sure about their former governor.
A longtime Alaska pollster found her favorability at just 31% this past October, Politico reported. Many remain frustrated that she resigned her governorship early after she and Sen. John McCain failed to secure the White House in 2008. Since then, she's been a Fox News regular, a possible presidential contender, a reality TV host, and even a contestant on Fox's "The Masked Singer."
"Well, I'm sorry if that narrative is out there because it's inaccurate," Palin told the AP about feelings that she quit on the state. Palin said she resigned due to ethics and records requests that became a distraction.
It also doesn't help matters that Palin's past also doesn't sit well with some of Alaska's current elected officials. Chief among those is Palin ousting Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski's father, Frank, from the governorship in 2006. Murkowski recently told Insider and other reporters that she could not recall the last time she saw Palin in the state.
Even more curious has been the reception among the "Momma Grizzlies" and other Republican officeholders who once touted Palin's backing. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate GOP leadership, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and other senators all had a tepid response to Insider's questions about whether they supported Palin's comeback.
"Call my press office," Cruz told Insider three times. Cruz once said he would have never been in the chamber " if it were not for Governor Sarah Palin."
The race to succeed Young is extremely crowded. Fifty candidates have filed to run for the seat in a special election, including a North Pole, Alaska, councilman who is legally named Santa Claus.
Alaskans also approved ranked-choice voting in 2020, fundamentally changing the dynamics of the state. The June 11 special primary will also be the first statewide election conducted by mail. The top four candidates will advance to a general election in August where ranked-choice voting will be used.