The Sarah Palin Factor in Iowa

The Iowa caucus is days away.

Over the past few weeks, Ted Cruz has made a considerable jump in the polls and taken the lead in the Hawkeye state. Cruz’s lead in Iowa has forced Donald Trump to spend money on television ads and roll out the endorsement of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin has worked to stay relevant since bursting onto the scenes in 2008 as John McCain’s pick for Vice President. In Iowa on Tuesday, Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump for president.

Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Trump in Iowa is seen by some as a snub to Ted Cruz, who had received the former Governor’s endorsement for Senate in 2012. Regardless, Sarah Palin’s backing of Trump does not a guaranteed win in Iowa. It will take a lot for Palin’s endorsement to move the needle in the polls considering her approval rating with Republicans has been declining since 2008. Trump’s outlandish comments and off color policy ideas have, for the most part, played well with Iowans. The biggest question for a lot of people are Trump’s conservative credentials. With Palin in Trump’s corner, he is working hard to erase any doubt of his Republican leanings.

Palin’s endorsement helps soften Trump’s boisterous take “no prisoners” attitude while giving voters a person they know who has the background of a tried and true conservative. Aside from Palin’s folksy straight-shooting attitude coupled with her ability to mobilize grassroots supporters is an asset to the Trump campaign.

From running as McCain’s Vice President to campaigning for other candidates, Sarah Palin knows a thing or two about the campaign trail, but these factors do not automatically translate into a win for Trump in Iowa. If the 2016 cycle has taught us anything, this election is an outlier and there is not a one-size-fits-all strategy that can be deployed when it comes to wooing voters. Here’s to waiting to see if the former Alaska Governor carries enough weight to give the Donald a win come February 1st.