Palin's Town Scored $27M in Pork

As mayor, Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm that secured some $27 million in earmarked federal funds for her town of 6,700, a watchdog group has discovered. The money went toward railways, sewers, a transportation hub, and a youth shelter, reports the Washington Post. Fighting federal earmarks, which are designated for specific projects, is considered a hallmark of John McCain’s record. He has praised Palin for "standing up to special interests and entrenched bureaucracies."

Earmarks garnered $6.1 million for the small town of Wasilla in 2002, compared to $6.9 million secured for Boise, Idaho, with a population of 190,000, this fiscal year. Palin is “a little more savvy to the ways of Washington than she has let on,” said an analyst. Her campaign said she has worked "within the confines of the current system” to support “the best interests of Alaska.” (More Sarah Palin stories.)