COLUMBIA, S.C. — Count Nikki Haley as a Sarah Palin supporter.
The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations backed the former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate’s return to politics.
On Friday, Palin announced she’s running for Congress, looking to fill the seat of the late Don Young in Alaska, CNN reported.
“Excited to see Sarah Palin get back into the fight to take our country back,” Haley said. “We need her voice in Congress!”
In addition to serving as Alaska’s governor from 2006 to 2009, Palin was the Republican nominee for vice president when John McCain won the GOP’s nomination and ran for the White House in 2008.
Palin is one of 51 candidates looking to fill Young’s U.S. House seat and finish his term in a special election to be held on June 11, the Anchorage Daily News reported. After the results are announced on June 26, the top four vote-getters will move on to another special election on Aug. 16.
In addition to Palin, the field includes candidates on both sides of the political spectrum, a former member of the Trump administration, and Santa Claus, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
“Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years,” Palin said in announcing her candidacy.
Haley is not the only prominent Republican to show support for Palin.
Palin made her announcement to run after meeting with Donald Trump and being encouraged by the former president, according to Fox News.
Many pundits credit Palin with laying the groundwork for Trump. When she was running for vice president in 2008, Palin “helped revive the anti-establishment rhetoric that has come to define the Republican Party,” The New York Times reported.
“Sarah Palin has energized the conservative movement like few others in our generation,” Haley said in 2010, according to Politico. “She has helped millions of Americans find the power of their voice.”
Haley might be looking to lay the groundwork for a presidential campaign of her own in 2024. She has been busy endorsing Republican candidates across the country ahead of 2022 primary and general elections.
Along with Palin, some others who have been supported by Haley include Herschel Walker, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia; Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
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