Alaska Senator Warns Palin: Mitts Off My Seat

Palin could make Senate run on road to presidency

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 2, 2008 9:50 AM CST

(Newser) – Sarah Palin may consider a 2010 Senate run as a stepping stone to a 2012 presidential bid—but the current occupant of said seat isn't about to make way for the GOP rock star. Fellow Republican and Alaska's newly senior senator Lisa Murkowski “can guarantee it would be a very tough election,” Politico reports. “I don’t think the way to the presidency is a short stop in the United States Senate,” she says.

A Senate position could bolster Palin’s credentials ahead of 2012. But Murkowski warns the governor that a loss in the GOP senate primary would be an embarrassment, while a win would make her a newcomer to an old-boys club—and she’d need to start campaigning for president right away. “You need to have this position being filled full time. And I think that’s what Alaskans will be looking to,” the senator said.

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Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin, left, stands in the main foyer of the governor's mansion with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, right, in Juneau, Alaska on Tuesday, March 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Miller)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, addresses the Alaska State Legislature during her annual address in Juneau, Alaska on Tuesday, March 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Miller)

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Sarah is interested in what is best for Sarah, and she is not necessarily going to get sidetracked by party loyalties. - Democratic pollster Ivan Moore

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Alaska Senator Warns Palin: Mitts Off My Seat