(Bloomberg) -- Former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she's running for her state's sole U.S. House seat that became vacant upon the death of longtime Representative Don Young last month.
“I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Representative Young's legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for,” Palin said in a statement posted to her Twitter account on Friday night.
“America is at a tipping point,” she said. “As I've watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight.”
Palin's entry into the race to replace Young, who was in office for nearly half a century, marks a return to the political fray. She was elected governor of Alaska in 2006 after serving as mayor of her hometown, Wasila. Yet she remained largely unknown beyond her state until John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, asked her to be his running mate.
Earlier: Don Young, Veteran Alaska Congressman, Is Dead at 88
His surprise selection electrified conservatives and made her a political celebrity, but they lost to the Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden that November.
Palin resigned as governor in 2009 and in the years since has pursued careers as a commentator and author and in reality television. She has campaigned for Republican causes and candidates, including former President Donald Trump. In February, she lost a defamation suit against the New York Times. She said she would appeal.
The filing deadline for the special congressional election was Friday evening. Although Palin is probably the best known Alaskan in the U.S. and Republicans have long had the upper hand in state politics, she has competition. Other candidates include Nick Begich III, a grandson of former Representative Nick Begich Sr. and nephew of former Senator Mark Begich. Al Gross, who ran against Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in 2020, has also announced his candidacy.
Read More: Palin Questions Judge's Impartiality in NY Times Defamation Case
The election will be the first under Alaska's new system, in which candidates run in a non-partisan primary. The top four finishers in that race then face off in the general election, which will use ranked-choice voting.
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