Sarah Palin files paperwork to run for Alaska House seat left vacant by death of Rep. Don Young

The Alaskan race for the U.S. House seat left vacant when Republican Rep. Don Young passed away last month just got more interesting, as former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin has filed paperwork to enter the field of candidates.

Palin, who was also the GOP nominee for vice president in 2008, has been out of politics since 2009 when she resigned as governor of Alaska. Since then she has campaigned for several GOP candidates, including former president Donald Trump, as well as appeared as a Fox News political commentator. 

Palin joins a field of 50 candidates vying for the at-large House seat. Among them are several current and former Alaskan legislators, as well as a man from the North Pole district whose name is Santa Claus according to AP. 

“America is at a tipping point. As I’ve watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight,” Palin said in a statement on Friday. “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.”