Alaska

Palin's Senate Three For One

Appoints three men to a single seat.

Perhaps something like this would have worked well for John McCain when he was choosing a running mate? Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has made the strange move of appointing three people to a single open state Senate seat. The governor must appoint a Juneau Democrat to fill the seat left vacant by Kim Elton, who resigned for a job with the Obama administration. When Tim Grussendorf and Joe Nelson—Palin’s first choices—were rejected, she apparently decided the best thing to do would be to resubmit their names, along with a third, Alan Wilson. Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski objected that, under the law, Palin can’t appoint three people to the seat. She must pick one. Wilson’s Democratic credentials have also come into question, as it appears that he didn’t register as a Democrat until March 4. Palin has described Wilson as a “successful small businessman and active in the community.”