ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Matanuska-Susitna Valley, a lush part of the state where lakes are fed by melting glacier water, is where Sarah Palin began her political career three decades ago. At the heart of the state conservative movement, he rose from city council member to small town mayor before winning an incumbent Republican governor and running for GOP vice president in 2008. But for construction contractor Jesse Sumner, who was born and raised in the valley and elected to the local council in 2018 on a platform of fiscal conservation and gun rights, it is a distant memory overshadowed by what he sees as years of political neglect. . Now, as Palin seeks to return to an effort for Alaska’s only seat in the US House, she will not receive his support. “I think he may have left us somewhere on the road to fame,” said Sumner, who has been backing one of Palin’s rivals since last fall and has not changed his plans. She complained that Palin – who has spent much of the past decade as a right-wing celebrity, jumping between reality TV, cable news and the Trump movement – has not been involved in Alaska politics since leaving power in 2009. When she did appear at a Republican fundraiser last year, “everyone was surprised to see her there,” Sumner said. Such sentiments, shared by voters and activists across the state in recent interviews, point to Palin’s campaign for an open seat. This is the first time in five decades that Republican MP Don Yang, who died last month, will not be on the ballot. The top four voters in the June non-partisan primaries will go to the polls in special elections in August as part of a recent ranking system. Almost 50 candidates have participated in the race. Don Yang, Dean of the House of Representatives, dies at 88 But no one is as well-known outside of Alaska as Palin, making the fight a test of the strength of national political celebrity in a state where local relationships and reputation have long been critical. She announced her campaign on April 1, two weeks after Yang’s death, by submitting the documents to be executed just minutes before the state deadline. The campaign has also become a barometer of the influence of former President Donald Trump. Years before Trump was elected president, Palin embodied a similar kind of militant policy that sparked far-right voters and worried many in the Republican leadership. She backed him in 2016 and he has backed her this year, even though many key Republicans in the state have gone in a different direction. When asked about Palin’s candidacy, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (daughter of Frank Murkowski, the ousted Palin governor) laughed at the other four dozen candidates and said she could not name the last time she saw Palin in Alaska. it was “years.” Murkowski also faces re-election this year, with Trump backing her main rival, Kelly Tshibaka. Palin’s campaign did not accept requests for an interview with her. The campaign issued a written statement from an anonymous campaign adviser saying that Palin “believes that America is at a critical juncture and that Alaskan hardworking men and women deserve a champion in Washington to fight for them against its destructive policies.” far left. ” The statement echoed Trump, calling it “fake news” and despising “Washington elites.” But there are few signs of a detailed policy platform by Palin. Her campaign statement said she wanted to help Alaskans “lead the next energy renaissance.” Her campaign website is detailed in detail and instead features photos of her in fishing rods, horseback riding and Trump rallies. Her Twitter feed has garnered approval from national Republicans such as former Newt Gingrich President and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Palin may still be formulating her strategy and message with just seven weeks to go before the qualifiers, but University of Alaska political science professor Amy Lovecraft said the House campaign is surprisingly quiet in terms of advertising and events. He attributes this to the upheaval caused by Yang’s sudden death and his adaptation to the new core party form. In addition, he said, candidates with high recognition of names can submit their time, assuming they will pass the first round. “People who think they have the best possible way in Yang’s position can save their money for a knockdown, late elections later,” Lovecraft said. The Republican convention begins April 21 at Fairbanks and will focus on the upcoming election. Palin offered to bring music and right-wing provocateur Ted Najed to the conference, according to an anonymous person who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, but organizers declined her offer, citing a busy schedule. Partygoers say he has not been involved for more than a decade. Palin’s whereabouts have sparked speculation in Alaska, especially since she was linked to an Arizona property purchase after leaving office. She and her ex-husband Todd are still included in the tax calculations for their long-term and large property in Alaska, and the campaign said it is a lifelong Alaska still living with her youngest son in Wasilla. He has voted steadily in the Alaska election, abstaining in 2020 and 2014, according to voting records. Palin soared into national fame when she was elected then-senator. John McCain’s candidate’s partner in 2008, but after the defeat, Palin said she was disappointed by the costly and time-consuming legal battles and shocked the state’s political establishment once again by resigning less than three years after taking office. Instead, she focused on building her national brand: lucrative book deals, a contract with Fox News that expired in 2015 and appeared in a psychedelic bear costume on “The Masked Singer” rap her own version of Sir “Baby Got” Mix-a-Lot Back. “ The fame came at a cost as her personal life spread across the tabloids with her divorce in 2020 from her husband of more than 30 years, the repeated arrests of her eldest son and the appearances of her eldest daughter on TV shows, including “Teen Mom OG “by MTV. Palin traveled the country faltering far-right candidates and sowed some of the seeds that would become the Trump movement in 2016 by supporting the tea party, rejecting “lame media” and false warnings about her of Obamacare. “ After Yang’s death on March 18 at the age of 88, dozens of candidates flooded the race to cover the rest of his term – even Santa Claus (legally renamed in 2005), a liberal city councilor who is called the North Pole. A Conservative candidate, Nick Begich III, had already challenged Young and lined up approvals in the Mat-Su Valley months ago – including Sumner. Alaska’s largest and richest Native American companies go with another Republican, Tara Sweeney. Another Republican, State Sen. Josh Revak, has the backing of Yang’s widow. We remember Alaska MP Don Young Yang had the disgusting respect of some Alaskans who seldom agreed with him but called on him to help. Anchorage-based native Alaskan-based artist John Hagen said he felt heard when he arrived at Yang’s office, especially when he was working as a fisherman. “One thing I definitely felt was that the power in this seat has always been used to benefit the state of Alaska,” Hagen said. A statement from her campaign adviser said Palin “would be honored to follow in the footsteps of Don Yang (realizing she let big shoes fill up!) Who served Alaskans with dignity and commitment to the American cause of freedom.” and freedom. On Aug. 16, when Alaska voters decide the winner of the special election, they will also face a list of candidates for the general election to decide who will hold the seat for the regular two-year term that begins in 2023. While Trump support is seen by many Republicans as useful to Palin, as he won Alaska in 2020 with 53 percent of the vote, local analysts and activists said it was not as much of an advantage as it would be in other states. Palin’s national political fame does not always match local voters, according to Anchorage researcher Ivan Moore, who has been tracking her popularity in Alaska for a decade. Moore said in an October poll, his most recent poll, 56% of respondents had a negative view of Palin, compared to 31% who had a positive impression. Almost two thirds of the negatives were “very negative”. “It’s great to have a 100 percent ID, but when more than half of those people don’t like you, you’re not going to get a lot of votes,” Moore said. A common refrain she has heard is the contempt for her decision to step down as governor. “You talk to people now, they will say ‘she has given up, she has given up.’ “Why should the people vote for you again?” Anchorage voter Marne Eggleston moved to Alaska in 2015 and said she has never felt Palin’s influence in the state. “The only time I hear about it is on the national stage,” Eggleston said. Palin’s name came up again and again, Eggleston recalls, when she first moved to Alaska, and her friends asked if she could see Russia from her home, quoting a line that became famous from Tina Faye’s parody of Palin on Saturday Night Live. By then, Egleston was tired of Palin. He remembers the initial emotion in 2008 when he saw a woman being selected as McCain’s candidate partner. “Then he started talking,” Eggleston said. Eggleston said she was so frustrated when Palin struggled to answer key questions about her foreign policy or reading habits that she voted for Democrat Barack Obama, even though he was a Republican at the time. However, Palin has fans who defend her record and …
