Palin decision to seek GOP nod ups political ante

Former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin is expected to make it official today. After announcing last week that she had filed a letter of intent to seek statewide office, she'll clarify her plans at a 2 p.m. press conference today.

Palin says she'd like to be governor, and, of perhaps greater significance, she'd like to do so as

a Republican. While the announcement may seem anti-climactic, Palin's action ups the ante for the 2006 election.

It is a tradition in party politics for potential office-seekers to defer their plans until incumbents have stepped aside. Gov. Frank Murkowski, wallowing in favorability ratings at an almost unheard-of low, has yet to announce his intentions. Speculation is rampant about what he will do, but it seems without a decent gas pipeline deal, he will have little to run on.

Lt. Gov. Loren Leman is the party's heir apparent, should Murkowski decline to seek a second term. So he, too, would have to step aside before any other establishment Republican would attempt a run for governor.

When she announced last week her interest in running, Palin said she knew her party would likely not make it easy for her. After two high-profile incidents in which she took leaders to task for ethical lapses, her standing with the party powers-that-be slid.

She said it would take time for her to decide if it was best for her to run as an independent, or to stick it out as a Republican in an effort to clean house and get the party back on the right ethical track. Today's announcement, then, serves notice to party leaders that the times are, indeed, changing. How they respond could well shape the outcome of the 2006 election, as well as the future of the party.

In announcing her decision in advance of Murkowski, Palin has underscored her belief in the dysfunction of partisan politics and business as usual. While making clear her philosophical embrace of Republican party issues, she has made it equally clear that she will serve Alaskans - all Alaskans - and not just the interests of party leaders.

Anyone who pays the slightest attention to the political scene at any level, knows that talk is cheap on the campaign trail. But in blazing this new path, Palin has already shown she is capable of walking the walk, too.

Her challenge now will be to appeal to enough Alaskans, across the political spectrum, that she will be able to overcome the huge financial and organizational deficit she is likely to face. With such important principles at stake, it is a challenge worth taking on.

Alaskans should be energized and excited by the tack Palin is taking. Should she be successful, that success could well prove to be a victory for everyone who calls Alaska home.