McCain and Palin on campaign trail again
John McCain and Sarah Palin to hit campaign trail together this year for first time since failed White House bid
Thursday, 21, Jan 2010 05:03
By Matthew Champion.
John McCain and Sarah Palin will hit the campaign trail together this year for the first time since their failed White House bid.
Mrs Palin will join Mr McCain in March as he bids for re-election to the Senate in Arizona for a fifth time.
Senator McCain, 73, unsuccessfully ran for the presidency in 2008 after naming Mrs Palin, then governor of Alaska, as his running-mate.
Mrs Palin energised the Republican base but proved a deeply polarising figure on the national stage, leading to ridicule over a series of embarrassing network interviews.
Last July she stood down as governor as Alaska and in November went on a nationwide tour promoting her bestselling but critically-panned Going Rogue memoirs many saw as the first steps towards a bid for the Republican nomination in 2012.
But her stock has fallen following the publication of Game Change (renamed as Race of a Lifetime in the UK) by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, who alleged that the vice-presidential pick showed signs of mental distress during the campaign and had to be educated on many basis details of 20th century history and world geography.
"I look forward to helping heroes and statesmen like Senator John McCain," Mrs Palin wrote on her official Facebook page.
Republicans have been buoyed by this week's unlikely victory in the special election to replace the late Senator Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts.
Scott Brown's victory removed the Democrats' supermajority in the Senate and jeopardised Barack Obama's healthcare reform agenda.
Mrs Palin described Senator-elect Brown's win as a "clear indication of things to come", saying she would also campaign for Texas governor Rick Perry later in the year.
"I can't wait to join all of you in supporting these great candidates and many more over the coming months," she added.
Writing on his official website meanwhile, Senator McCain said: "I'm looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail with my former running mate, and I know my fellow Arizonans will welcome her as well.
"Sarah energised our nation and remains a leading voice in the Republican party."