Jul 3, 2009 6:38 pm US/Eastern
Gov. Palin's Announcement Shocks Political World
Questions Arise After Former VP Candidate Announces She'll Resign, Won't Seek Re-Election
Reporting
Lou Young
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Gov. Sarah Palin stunned the political world Friday, announcing not only that she won't seek re-election, but that she won't finish her current term, resigning her post in just a few weeks. (file photo)
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
It was a bombshell announcement from Governor Sarah Palin.
The former vice presidential candidate stunned the political world Friday, announcing that she will step down as governor in a matter of weeks.
It came out of the blue, following the governor's overseas trip to visit wounded US troops. The sudden announcement was not carried live, but had apparently been planned for a while and was curiously timed for a holiday weekend.
Standing on her lawn in suburban Wasilla, Alaska, the governor read off a teleprompter a long-winded and obtuse explanation for political surrender. She says she will not seek re-election in 2010, and would not even complete the term she was elected to.
"I'm determined to take the right path for Alaska, even though it is unconventional and is not so comfortable. With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election, I've determined that it's best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor [Sean] Parnell," Palin said. "All I can ask is that you trust me with this decision, and know that it is no more 'politics as usual.'"
Lt. Gov. Parnell will take over on July 25. Standing to Palin's right during the announcement, he seemed surprised by the announcement. Palin's husband, Todd, who she said had returned from a fishing trip to attend the gathering Friday, looked grim-faced.
Since running as Senator John McCain's VP choice in November, Palin has seen her poll numbers in Alaska drop as partisan political squabbling erupted and several ethics probes were launched. The governor, in fact, cited the time and cost of defending those ethics investigations as one of the reasons she's stepping down.
"My staff and I spend most of our day dealing with this stuff, instead of progressing our state now," Palin said. "I know I promised no more 'politics as usual,' but this isn't what anyone had in mind for Alaska.
"The state has wasted thousands of hours of your time, and shelled out some two million of your dollars, to respond to opposition research. And that's money that's not going to fund teachers, or troopers, or safer roads," Palin said.
Gov. Palin says she plans to continue working for Alaska and the US "outside of government." She says she'll have a further explanation for her actions later Friday on her Twitter page.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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