Palin yet to offer political endorsements

Fairbanks News-Miner | September 25, 2008

By R. A. Dillon
Published Thursday, September 25, 2008

WASHINGTON — Gov. Sarah Palin has been silent on whether she will support fellow Republicans Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young come November.

Palin, 44, became the state’s leading Republican overnight at the end of August when she was selected by Sen. John McCain to be his vice-presidential running mate. Her popularity with conservatives has pumped new enthusiasm into the party and provided a bump to Republican candidates down ballot.

But the McCain campaign has presented Palin to the country as an anti-earmark crusader and corruption buster from a state where the two most powerful Republicans are famous for their ability to bring federal dollars home, and who happen to both be under federal investigation for alleged corruption-related activities.

With Republicans across the country facing tough re-election battles, however, the National Republican Party wants to hold every seat it can or risk irrelevancy should Democrats obtain enough seats to overcome minority filibusters.

GOP leaders are expected to ask McCain and Palin to stump for local Republicans across the country, including Alaska.

McCain has a long history of clashes with Stevens and Young over their love of earmarks, and Palin has her own complicated history with the state’s senior spokesmen — making it difficult to imagine a McCain-Palin endorsement for either incumbent.

Jerry McBeath, political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said Stevens and Young and their seniority would be at the top of the list of seats the party wants to protect in November.

“Obviously, what she wants to do is say nothing,” McBeath said. “But McCain’s hand may be forced” by the party.

So far, Palin has been ambiguous about endorsing either lawmaker. The McCain-Palin campaign declined to comment for this story.

Political analysts and Republicans say Palin is likely to continue to avoid talking about Stevens or Young for as long as possible. She has yet to take questions from reporters following the campaign.

Palin’s presence on the ticket will help GOP turnout in the election, which should benefit Stevens and Young.

“I don’t think she’s going to endorse or not endorse,” said Mike Anderson, Young’s campaign spokesman. “I think she’s going to stay silent.”

Association with Stevens and Young might harm Palin’s image in the Lower 48, but plenty of local long-time Stevens and Young supporters remain wary of her.

Still, the corruption investigations and today’s start of Stevens; trial for allegedly lying on his Senate financial disclosures about $250,000 of gifts and home renovation work paid for by the now-defunct oil services company VECO Corp and its executives, makes openly supporting the pair difficult, to say the least.

“I would think she would have a very difficult time endorsing either one of them while they are under that cloud,” said Carl Sherpo, political science professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. “It would be very difficult for her to rationalize taking such a strong stand against corruption to then endorse either one of them.”

In the case of Stevens, she’s not likely to say anything until after his trial, which is expected to last right up until the election.

Stevens, 84, is facing the toughest re-election fight of his nearly 40-year career in the Senate. Democrats have recruited Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich to challenge Stevens.

Last July, Palin criticized Stevens for not being more forthright about the reasons for the Justice Department probe, and she publicly called for Young to resign.

But earlier this summer — prior to being nominated the GOP vice-presidential candidate — Palin praised Stevens for his work on an energy plan beneficial to the state, and looked like she might endorse his bid for a seventh full term. Palin has been mum since her nomination, however.

Stevens supported Palin as the Republican nominee for governor in 2006 after she trounced incumbent Frank Murkowski in the primary. He also was quick to endorse her vice-presidential bid.

But in a statement earlier this month to a reporter in Nome, Stevens said he did not expect Palin to speak in his favor while the trial was underway. He said it would be inappropriate to seek her endorsement because of his legal troubles.

A spokesman for the Stevens campaign said the senator had no comment about a possible endorsement by Palin or the trial.

While an endorsement from Palin might help Stevens and Young in the eyes of some Republicans, the governor faces her own troubles with the ongoing investigation into the firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

But Palin has also not gone out of her way to slam Stevens.

Political science professor Sherpo thinks that’s because support for the state’s senior senator remains strong.

“It’s very clear that he’s got a lot of support,” Sherpo said. “I don’t think he needs her support. At least not unless he is found guilty.”

Palin’s relationship with Young is more complicated. She supported Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in his unsuccessful bid to oust Young in this year’s Republican primary, and she called for Young to step down from the House seat he’s held for 35 years after the corruption investigation became public.

Anderson said Young has reached out to Palin to offer his support and congratulations, but does not plan to ask her for an endorsement.

“Young wants to congratulate her and let her know that he’s on board with the McCain team,” Anderson said.

As for returning the favor, Anderson said that’s up to Palin.

“We have reached out to her, but we also know that she has a busy schedule and that we’re not the only ones reaching out,” he said.

So far, Young has not received a call back.