“Public service is a calling and I would be honored to represent Alaskan men and women in Congress, as Mr. Young has done for 49 years,” she wrote in a statement announcing her candidacy. “I realize I have very big shoes to fill and I intend to honor the Rep.’S legacy. “Young offering myself in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America.” Palin submitted documents Friday that were being processed by the Electoral Department, said Tiffany Montemayor, a spokeswoman for the department. The field includes current and former state legislators and a member of the North Pole City Council named Santa Claus. The deadline for submission was Friday at 5 p.m. Young, who served as dean of Parliament, died on March 19 at the age of 88. He had served in Parliament for almost half a century. Others who applied Friday include Republican Sen. Josh Revak. Democrat Adam Wool; independent Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020. and Andrew Chalcro, a former Republican MP who is running as an independent. They are involved in a field that includes Republican Nick Begich, who had been placed as Young’s challenger. Democrat Christopher Constant, member of the Anchorage Assembly. and John Coggill, a former Republican lawmaker. Palin is a former governor of Alaska and a candidate for vice president of the Republicans in 2008. She has maintained a low profile in the Alaskan political scene since leaving office in 2009, before the end of her term as governor. Revak, who previously worked for Yang’s office and was co-chair across the state for Yang’s re-election, said he felt “a strong call and a duty” to move forward. He said he was “hurt” by the filing schedule, which coincides with a period he said he should focus on remembering Young. Young lied in the US Capitol on Tuesday. A public memorial service was held in the Washington, DC area on Wednesday, and a public memorial service is scheduled in Anchorage on Saturday. Special elections to fill the vacancy will be held this summer, with primaries scheduled for June 11 and special general elections on August 16, the same date as Alaska’s regularly scheduled primaries. The winner of the special election will complete the rest of Yang’s term, which ends in January 2023. In a statement Friday, Palin said the country was “at a critical juncture” and spoke of the need to address “out-of-control inflation, vacant shelves and gas prices, which are among the highest in the world”. “I am in this struggle to win it and to take part in the struggle for freedom alongside other patriots who are willing to sacrifice everything to save our country,” Palin said. Aaron Navarro contributed to the report.
