FORMER ALASKAN governor Sarah Palin says she believes she could beat President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election and is considering whether to run.
Ms Palin (46) said in an ABC News interview that she was “looking at the lay of the land” for a possible presidential bid and “trying to figure that out, if it’s a good thing for the country, for the discourse, for my family”.
When asked whether she could beat Mr Obama, Ms Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee, replied, “I believe so.”
ABC released excerpts from the interview scheduled to be broadcast on December 9th.
In addition to regular appearances as a commentator on the Fox News Channel and a programme, Sarah Palin's Alaskaon the Learning Channel cable network, Ms Palin has been raising her profile.
In an interview with the New York Times, Ms Palin said she was still considering whether to run for president in 2012 and was discussing the issue with her family.
She was picked by Senator John McCain to be his running mate in 2008. A recent Gallup poll found she got support from 16 per cent of Republicans to be the party’s candidate in 2012, tied with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee but trailing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who was supported by 19 per cent.
She endorsed more than 80 candidates in the 2010 elections, and at least 50 of them won, the New York Timessaid.
She also raised more than $10 million (€7.3 million) for Republican candidates and the party, it added.
Her political action committee raised $2.5 million between January 1st and September 30th and contributed $190,500 to candidates and Republican political committees, filings from the Federal Election Commission show. – ( Washington Post-Bloomberg)