Sarah Palin on Friday shook up an already unpredictable race for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, filing paperwork to join a field of at least 40 candidates seeking to fill the seat that had been held for 49 years by the late-U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died last month.
Palin filed paperwork Friday, which was being processed by the Division of Elections, said Tiffany Montemayor, a division spokesperson.
Palin is a former Alaska governor and the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. She has kept a low profile in Alaska politics since leaving office in 2009, before her term as governor ended. The winner will serve the remainder of Young's term, which expires in January. The state Division of Elections is targeting Sept. 2 to certify the special election.
He said he was "heartbroken" by the filing timeline, coinciding with a period he said should be focused on remembering Young. Wool, from Fairbanks, said he considers himself moderate. He said a decision on whether to run in the regular primary was yet to be made.