JUNEAU, Alaska — Governor Palin on Friday shook up an already unpredictable race for Alaska’s lone House seat, joining a field of 50 other candidates seeking to fill the seat held for decades by Representative Don Young, who died last month.The Alert Alaskan filed paperwork Friday with a state Division of Elections office in Wasilla, said a division spokesperson, Tiffany Montemayor.Ms. Palin, an erstwhile Alaska governor who was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, has the biggest national political profile in the packed field that includes current and former state legislators and a North Pole city council member named Santa Claus.“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,” Ms. Palin said in a statement.Young, a Republican, had held Alaska’s House seat since 1973 and was seeking reelection at the time of his death last month at age 88.Others in the flurry of filings before Friday’s deadline were state Senator Josh Revak and Tara Sweeney, who are both Republicans and were the statewide co-chairs of Young’s reelection campaign.Ms. Palin resigned as governor in 2009, partway through her term, and said she could make a difference outside the governor’s office. She also had expressed outrage over ethics complaints she felt had frivolously targeted her.She has kept a low profile in Alaska politics since then but maintained a presence nationally, including through speaking engagements, appearances with conservative outlets and on reality TV. She also was an early supporter of President Trump.She has hinted at possible runs for office in the past but never took the plunge. In her statement Friday, she said America is “at a tipping point” and that she’s in the race to “win it and join the fight for freedom alongside other patriots willing to sacrifice all to save our country.”A special primary is set for June 11. The top four vote-getters will advance to an August 16 special election in which ranked choice voting will be used, a process in line with a new elections system approved by voters in 2020.The winner, targeted to be certified by September 2, will serve the remainder of Young’s term, which expires in January.The special election will coincide with the regular primary. The regular primary and November general election will determine who represents Alaska in the House for a two-year term starting in January.
