Former U.S. Republican Alaska Governor
Sarah Palin announces that she will resign this month and will not run for
re-election as governor in Wasilla, Alaska July 3, 2009 in this video
frame grab. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
SAN FRANCISCO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Sarah Palin,
governor of the U.S. state of Alaska and also Republican vice presidential
candidate for the 2008 elections, announced on Friday that she will resign from
her post later this month and will not run for re-election as governor.
Palin made the announcement at a news conference at
her home in Wasilla, Alaska.
"People who know me know that besides faith and
family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," said Palin.
"I am determined to take the right path for Alaska
even though it is not the easiest path," she said.
Palin announced that she will relegate the power of
governor to Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell in order to serve Alaska's best
interests.
Parnell already indicated that he will seek election
to the governor's office in 2010.
The transfer of power will occur following the
Governor's picnic in Fairbanks on July 26, according to a statement released by
Palin's office.
"At that point in time, Lieutenant Governor Sean
Parnell will be sworn in and Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume his
role as Lieutenant Governor," the statement said.
Palin, whose term would have ended in 2010, claimed
that the resignation was intended to avoid a lame-duck final months of her term.
"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also
felt that to embrace the conventional 'Lame Duck' status in this particular
climate would just be another dose of 'politics as usual,' something I
campaigned against and will always oppose," she said.
Born in 1964, Palin was elected governor of Alaska in
November 2006, becoming the first woman and the youngest person to hold the
state's top political job.
Palin was catapulted onto the U.S. national political
arena after Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose her as the
running mate in the 2008 presidential elections.
Speculations have been swirling recently that Palin
would not seek re-election as Alaska governor in 2010 as she eyes a political
career on the national stage.
Palin has long been rumored to be considering a run
at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, Alaska's local TV channel
KTUU said in a report about her resignation.
Palin did not reveal her next move while announcing
the pending resignation. However, she hinted at her future aspirations.
"I look forward to helping others -- to fight for our
state and our country, and campaign for those who believe in smaller government,
free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops, and energy
independence," she said.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican vice
presidential candidate Sarah Palin Saturday made a speech at a jammed tennis
stadium near Los Angeles, criticizing Democratic presidential nominee Barack
Obama.
In her first appearance in California after McCain chose
her as his running mate more than a month ago, Palin demonstrated a folksy and
feisty manner. Full story
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Alaska Governor Sarah
Palin, the Republican candidate for vice president, has urged California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto a fee on cargo containers going through
the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, it was reported on Friday.
In a letter to Schwarzenegger dated Aug. 28, Palin said
the new fees for Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland ports would harm the
economies of Alaska and California, according to the Los Angeles Times. Full story
ST. PAUL, the United States, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Alaska
governor Sarah Palin will accept the Republican vice presidential nomination
Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn., at the third night of the Republican
National Convention.
Earlier in the morning, the 44-year old first-term female
governor took tour of the stage at the convention, and stood at the lectern
where she'll deliver her first major speech as presumptive Republican
presidential candidate John McCain's running mate. Full story
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- In a surprising move, U.S. presidential hopeful John McCain has chosen 44-year-old, not-well-known Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, his campaign announced Friday.
In an announcement, the campaign said that Palin "has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of." Full story
