Former Gov. of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin will endorse presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Trump campaign announced Tuesday.
Palin — a member of the conservative, grassroots wing of the Republican party known as the Tea Party — will officially endorse Trump in Iowa less than two weeks before the state's caucuses in a move that could provide him with a last-minute boost among right-wing voters.
“I am greatly honored to receive Sarah’s endorsement,” Trump said according to a statement released by his campaign. “She is a friend, and a high-quality person whom I have great respect for. I am proud to have her support.”
Palin's endorsement comes as a serious blow to fellow Republican candidate Ted Cruz. Cruz — currently neck-in-neck with Trump in Iowa's polls — could lose support from evangelical voters in the state who see Palin as a strong, Christian ally.
The two politicians both present themselves as independent thinkers and Washington outsiders. During her 2008 vice presidential campaign, Palin branded herself as a political maverick and later authored a book entitled "Going Rogue." Similarly, Trump emphasizes his unconventional leadership style and lack of previous association with Washington.
Read more at the New York Times
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