Marion McKeone: Palin plots an unlikely comeback after years in Alaskan wilderness

She shot to fame as John McCain’s folksy running mate in the 2008 US presidential election. Now Sarah Palin is ready for her close-up again – even if large swathes of her own party are left unmoved by the prospect of her return to the political fray

Sarah Palin: the former US vice-presidential candidate is aiming to take the Alaskan congressional seat that was recently vacated due to the death of Don Young. Picture: Getty

"Polls are for strippers and cross-country skiers.” It was a typical Sarah Palin comment, one of the folksy jabs delivered with the megawatt smile and flirty wink that made her an overnight political sensation before her plummet into relative political obscurity.

Now Palin is plotting her political comeback, to a very mixed response. The death of Don Young, a Republican veteran, means Alaska’s sole congressional seat has become vacant after almost 50 years. The former ...