As the Tuesday primaries came and went one political figure had a very good night, and that person was Sarah Palin. The three of four candidates she endorsed won, and several of them won big. Her endorsement of Nikki Haley was essential in Haley's almost 50% vote among a field of four candidates for the republican nomination for governor of South Carolina. She will be headed to a runoff election in two weeks unless US representative Gresham Barrett bows out with only 22% of the vote. The inside scoop is that republican leaders are encouraging him to do just that. Haley was a victim of good ole boy politics as accusations of infidelity surfaced over the last several weeks. Palin stuck with Haley and mentioned that the accuser was trying to make things up. It was Haley's reformer mantle that drew distinction from the republican establishment and comparisons to Sarah's own political history. If anyone could understand and sympathize with false accusations, Sarah can.
Next Sarah's endorsement of Carly Fiorina in the race for the republican nomination to face Barbara Boxer in California brought a huge victory for Fiorina. The polls were much closer until Sarah's endorsement which brought huge controversy as many of the Tea Party groups felt Fiorina was not the strongest conservative in the race. Sarah underlined Fiorina's strong pro life and NRA endorsements to counter that charge which helped sway conservatives to her side. Sarah even made robo calls for Fiorina in the final days of the campaign. Fiorina will be a strong challenger for Boxer's seat and can bring unlimited spending to this race.
Sarah also endorsed Terry Branstad in the Iowa governor's race which also surprised some conservatives. She was able to reassure many that Branstad was indeed a true conservative, and seems to be positioning herself as a huge asset to those she endorses. The only loser of the evening that Sarah endorsed was the Arkansas house candidate..Cecile Bledsoe. Bledsoe was a distant second until the Palin endorsement, and appears to have just lost, although the final results are not in. She described Bledsoe as a "Mama Grizzly," and a leader of a new feminist conservative surge.
The results of Tuesday's primaries are revealing and show Sarah's political impact for those she endorses. You can bet that as more primaries continue on through the summer that many will seek her endorsement. It's somewhat humorous that democrat primary candidates are running away from Barack Obama while republican primary candidates are seeking the endorsement of Sarah Palin. Seems to me a "Battle Royal" is shaping up for the 2012 elections.
Read: President or Radical?....at my other blog....cooperscopy
Absolutely and the liberal media would love to just erase her from the face of politics altogether because they can't fit her into their box. Palin is a real women with remarkable resilience, talent, skill and commitment to betterment of our country... no matter where you come from on the political spectrum! My eyes are definitely on Palin because I think she has the capacity to make change for good whereas others just talk about it - or worse, promise and don't deliver! Just look at her track record!
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