Sarah Palin says she’s praying about running for Senate against Murkowski

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said she is praying on whether to challenge Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) next year. 

Speaking last month at a leadership conference co-sponsored by Harvest International Ministry and the Latino Coalition for Israel, Palin expressed some reservations about a potential Senate run, saying that “it would be a sacrifice.”

“I do need prayer about whether I should or not,” she said, later adding: “If God wants me to do it, I will.” 

Palin’s remarks at the conference were posted on Instagram on July 22 by Harvest International Ministry. 

It’s not the first time a potential Senate run by Palin has been brought up. The former Alaska governor teased the prospect of a primary challenge to Murkowski in 2018 after the Alaska senator became the only Republican to vote against moving the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh forward.

While Palin has said little about a Senate bid since then, Murkowski now appears more vulnerable to a primary challenge, given her vote in February to convict former President Trump in his second impeachment trial. 

Trump, who carried Alaska by 10 points in the 2020 presidential election, has vowed to campaign against Murkowski next year. He has already endorsed one of her primary challengers, Kelly Tshibaka, a little-known figure in national political circles who most recently served as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Administration. 

Palin appeared to reference Tshibaka in her remarks at the leadership conference last month, saying that Tshibaka’s presence in the race had given her pause.

“There’s a female Republican who’s already jumped in the race,” Palin said. “Kind of the scary thing about it is I’ve been in politics, seems like all of my life up there in Alaska and I’ve never heard of her, so that kind of made me hesitant.”

Palin did not rule out a run for Senate next year. 

“I would say you guys better be there for me this time, because a lot of people were not there for me last time,” Palin said.