Palin Endorsements Are Key in Primary Season

It's primary season and Conservative candidates around the country are all hoping to get a Palin endorsement to boost their campaigns. So far it is proving to be very beneficial for the candidates that have Governor Palin's official backing.

In Wisconsin, Sean Duffy's campaign exploded after the governor threw her support in his direction. They successfully put enough pressure on the very powerful Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and congressional fixture, Dave Obey to plan an early retirement.

Earlier this week in West Virginia, in a race marked by one of those anxiety inducing SarahPAC targets, Representative Alan Mollohan lost his reelection bid.

Palin endorsed, Rand Paul also has a comfortable lead in the Kentucky race.

(Nikki Haley, future Governor of South Carolina)

Thursday, Nikki Haley's campaign announced that Sarah Palin will endorse her candidacy for GOP slot in the South Carolina governor's race. They release the following statement:

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN WILL BE IN COLUMBIA, SC TOMORROW EVENING, FRIDAY MAY 14TH, TO ENDORSE NIKKI HALEY FOR GOVERNOR

Columbia, SC – Today, the Haley for Governor campaign is proud to announce that former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be joining Representative Nikki Haley in Columbia tomorrow evening, Friday, May 14th, in support of her candidacy for Governor.

In response to Governor Palin’s endorsement, Nikki Haley said “It is a tremendous honor to receive Governor Palin’s endorsement. Sarah Palin has energized the conservative movement like few others in our generation. She has helped millions of Americans find the power of their voice. I am extremely proud that she has offered her support to my candidacy.”

Nikki Haley, state representative from Lexington, has been an advocate for fiscal responsibility, transparency in government, and conservative values since her first day as a state legislator in 2005.

Governor Palin and Representative Haley will appear together at a public event at 5:30 pm in Columbia tomorrow evening. Details on location will follow.

According to CNN, "Palin's endorsement of Haley puts her at odds with her running mate in the 2008 presidential election, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

McCain has backed McMaster in the primary. McMaster chaired McCain's South Carolina campaign in 2008."

... So take that Chuck DeVore supporters who claim Governor Palin is John McCain's "puppet."

Speaking of which, it's pretty obvious why those same DeVore loyalists are so cranky about getting their perceived snub. They know that Governor Palin is the top Conservative in the nation. They know that the DeVore campaign could have used the boost in exposure and revenue. They know that Chuck is starting to become a spoiler and may possibly get Tom Campbell nominated to face off against Boxer this November. Doing so would most certainly go down much differently than "the only Conservative in the race" message they have been trying to send. Rather forcefully and usually in ALL CAPS on twitter, by the way.

On that note, I'm still wondering why "the only Conservative in the race" is trying so desperately to send Tom Campbell to Washington. I'm also still wondering why he is running so hard for the second place spot in a primary election, attacking Carly Fiorina, not Tom Campbell (a scary candidate if there ever was one) on his website and elsewhere.

So for now, Chuck will just have to stick it out with this guy

The value for conservative candidates getting a Palin endorsement goes without saying. There will be many contentious battles in the coming months and I am glad to see Governor Palin getting involved. She's never been one to 'play it safe' or somebody to not 'step on any toes' as too many top political leaders are prone to do. She has shown courage and wisdom in her picks regardless of what many armchair pundits think or say. She has picked a number of great candidates to support and is making for a very interesting primary season, to say the least.

UPDATE: Governor Palin made the Nikki Haley endorsement official today on her Facebook page:

Shaking it up in South Carolina with Nikki Haley

I’m very proud to add my voice to Jenny Sanford’s and others in endorsing Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina. Nikki is a strong pro-life, pro-Second Amendment fiscal conservative who served with distinction as a state lawmaker, a reformer who fought her own party to protect the interests of the taxpayer, a proud daughter of immigrants who worked night and day to achieve the American dream, a wife of an officer in the Army National Guard, a board member at her family’s Methodist church, and – most proudly – the loving mother of two beautiful kids.

It’s my honor to join Nikki today at a rally at 5:30 pm at the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. If you are in the area, please come by and join us.

In the meantime, Nikki needs our support in her race. She’s the scrappy underdog in a tough competitive primary. Please visit her website here, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Let’s help this tough, proud daughter of South Carolina shake things up in the Palmetto state.

- Sarah Palin