In 2006, few people knew who Palin was.
Name recognition can build very fast.
Apples and oranges !
The “nobodies” ( those with NO name recognition ) won’t get the kind of constant scrutiny and press that Sarah got and still gets.
Do you think that any Americans ( outside of his district and the rabid fans on this site ) even know Duncan Hunter’s name now; hell even when he was in the ‘08 primary race ?