The Fight Within the Fight

Sarah Palin is clearly not satisfied with just winning the Republican nod for governor:

On election night, Palin had suggested that Republican Party of Alaska chairman Randy Ruedrich, who paid an ethics fine after Palin told the state that he was mixing his political duties with his former state job, should resign as head of the party.

On Wednesday, Palin said her lopsided victory in the Republican primary was a sign that voters want the same thing.

"Last night, those numbers that poured in were a mandate for positive change, not just in state government but in the party also," she said.

This is the challenge faced by every victorious maverick - how do you use the establishment to your advantage once you win? Palin is taking one route - take over the party establishment and re-form it in your image. The other route is letting the establishment take over you. This story is made all the more interesting because of the personal connection between the two.

KTUU also has a story on this:

“Candidates say a lot of the things, in the moment and everything. At the end of the day, the party is more than a candidate, more than an individual. And I would say to Sarah Palin, and I am a strong Sarah Palin supporter, that is really not her call,” said Joe Geldhof (right), a Juneau Republican.

It may not be her call but she does have quite a bit of power in the party right now - more than half the Republican electorate supported her. That being said, how does she want to use it? The party establishment can presumably offer her quite a bit of organizational support in the fall election (maybe get her out to rural Alaska). She'd be foolish to turn it down.

It doesn't look like Ruedrich is leaving. This could be a real fight.