Sarah Palin Resigning as Alaska's Governor: What is Next?

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced Friday that she will resign by the end of the month.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - At a 3:00pm ET News Conference on Friday in Wasilla, Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin officially announced that she will be resigning on July 25th. The former vice-presidential candidate made the declaration at her home as the nation enjoyed the beginning of the Independence Day weekend.

She stated that the decision to resign has been coming for some time and involved a great deal of "prayer and consideration."

"People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska," Palin said in her announcement. "Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine."

"We know we can affect positive change outside government at this moment in time on another scale and actually make a difference," Palin also stated. She observed that politics had, in her words, become a "superficial, wasteful bloodsport."

In a statement released by her office, she said, "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.

"It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success."

According to a Palin spokesman, Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be sworn in as head of the "Land of the Last Frontier" at the governor's picnic at the end of the month. Parnell and state cabinet members were present, along with husband, Todd, when Palin made her announcement.

Rumors had already been circulating by early Friday morning that the governor would announce that she would not be seeking re-election, adding to the speculation that she was preparing for a White House run in four years.

The Alaska governor has also been plagued by accusations of ethics violations including the personal use of taxpayer funds. Her sudden thrust into the limelight during her recent vice-presidential campaign along with time away from her office at the state capitol also made her the target of criticism from both parties in Alaska.

Jason Recher, who worked for Palin during her vice-presidential campaign, told Politico.com, "This was a positive forward looking decision for her state, her family and cares so much for Alaska that she is going to get outside of the bubble and work to its benefit outside.

Democrats didn't waste any time taking a shot at the governor, who had become a constant target even after the election.

Politico.com quotes Brad Woodhouse of the Democratic National Committee as saying, "Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way - her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

The nation's first real introduction to Sarah Palin came in 2006 when she was elected as Alaska's youngest and first female governor. In 2008, as John McCain's running mate, she was the second woman in history to be the Vice-Presidential nominee.

Palin made no indication of future plans, political or otherwise.

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