I would love to see her in the Senate but I understand she is pretty unopular in Alaska so I would hate to see her run and see Begich reelected.
Is this true? Are there recent polls on Palin’s electability in Alaska?
It's no secret that I've been saying for some time that I think a run for the US Senate could be the best way for Palin to return to the national stage. Even with modern communications and travel, Alaska is so far away from the rest of the “Lower 48” that there are real logistical problems with an incumbent Alaskan governor doing the sort of public speaking and “meet and greet” that is necessary to be politically relevant in the modern American environment. Contrary to some of what is being said here, the US Senate is one of the highest profile megaphones in Washington, D.C., and along with state governorships, has historically been one of the major tracks followed by candidates for the presidency or other national positions. For a resident of a small and isolated state like Alaska, serving in the Senate, especially after time in other state and local offices and the governorship, could be a very good idea.
The complication is that a Sarah Palin run for the US Senate would attract massive national media attention and inject huge amounts of money, not only for her but also for her opponents. We can assume that the Murkowski machine will try to find someone to run against her in the Republican Primary, and the national Democratic Party will raise as much money as they can, not only to defend a current Senate seat but also to prevent Palin from future activities.
If the result of national media attention and tens of millions of dollars of outside money getting injected into the campaign is that Palin loses a race in Alaska, it would be very difficult for her to recover politically.