Palin said on Newsmax that she would be “humbled and honored” to replace Young, who recently died at age 88.
“We will see how this process goes in filling that seat—it would be an honor,” she added.
A special primary will be held between 60 and 90 days after Young’s March 18 death, per Alaska law. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, decides on the date. He had a news conference scheduled on Tuesday.
Alaska has a single seat in the House, which Young had held since 1973 prior to his passing.
Nick Begich, a Republican who launched a challenge against Young, told news outlets he’s running in the special election.
Christopher Constant, a Democrat who was also already vying for the seat, told The Associated Press that he will run in the upcoming election, which will determine who serves out the remainder of Young’s term.
Each House member serves two-year terms. The current term is up in January 2023.
Dunleavy told reporters at an unrelated briefing on Monday that he doesn’t want to run for the seat, saying he likes Alaska and wants to stay in the state.
Dunleavy is running for re-election.
The special election will be the first to use ranked voting. Alaskans in the 2020 election approved the new system.
Under the system, voters will rank their choices in order of preference. The top four vote-getters will advance to the special election.
The special election is over if one candidate receives a majority of the top ranking. But if the candidate does not, the candidate who receives the fewest votes is eliminated. The second choice of each voter who voted for the eliminated candidate is then counted towards the remaining candidates, and if one then has a majority, he or she wins. If not, the process happens again.
A mock election was held in 2021 to educate voters on how the system works. The mock election featured types of Alaskan seafood.
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