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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Alaska Governor Palin to resign | Alaska Governor Palin to resign |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has announced she will resign as governor of Alaska on 26 July and not run for re-election. | |
| Mrs Palin's term of office was due to end in 2010. | Mrs Palin's term of office was due to end in 2010. |
| There has been speculation that Mrs Palin, who is very popular with the Republican Party base, might make a bid for the White House in 2012. | There has been speculation that Mrs Palin, who is very popular with the Republican Party base, might make a bid for the White House in 2012. |
| Her resignation means Alaska's Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will take over as state governor. | Her resignation means Alaska's Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will take over as state governor. |
| 'New direction' | 'New direction' |
| Polls indicated Mrs Palin was very popular in Alaska during the first few years of her governorship, and although her approval ratings have dipped somewhat since her vice-presidential run, she still enjoys widespread popularity in her home state. | Polls indicated Mrs Palin was very popular in Alaska during the first few years of her governorship, and although her approval ratings have dipped somewhat since her vice-presidential run, she still enjoys widespread popularity in her home state. |
| Mrs Palin announced her decision in a statement from her home town of Wasilla, Alaska. | Mrs Palin announced her decision in a statement from her home town of Wasilla, Alaska. |
| "I'm taking my fight for what's right in a new direction," she said, as her family looked on. | "I'm taking my fight for what's right in a new direction," she said, as her family looked on. |
| Mrs Palin did not reveal what she intended to do after leaving office, and did not give an explicit reason for her decision not to run for re-election. | Mrs Palin did not reveal what she intended to do after leaving office, and did not give an explicit reason for her decision not to run for re-election. |
| But in a written statement, she made it clear that once she had decided not to run again, she did not want to hang on in office until her term expired. | But in a written statement, she made it clear that once she had decided not to run again, she did not want to hang on in office until her term expired. |
| "Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," she said. | "Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," she said. |