Sarah Palin on Friday shook up an already unpredictable race for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, filing paperwork to join a field of at least 40 candidates seeking to fill the seat that had been held for 49 years by the late-U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died last month.
Palin filed paperwork Friday with a Division of Elections office in Wasilla, said Tiffany Montemayor, a division spokesperson. The paperwork was being processed by the division, she said.
The field includes current and former state legislators and a North Pole city council member named Santa Claus. The deadline to file was 5 p.m. Friday. A final list of official candidates was not yet available.
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“Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years,” Palin said in a statement on social media. “I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Rep. Young’s legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America.”
Palin is a former Alaska governor and was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. She has kept a low profile in Alaska politics since leaving office in 2009, before her term as governor ended.
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Sarah Palin through the years
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. Palin told the business forum that the United States is due for a female president.(AP Photo/ Maeil Business News Paper, Lee Seung-hwan) KOREA OUT
FILE - In this Friday, April 23, 2010 file photo, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin leaves the Federal Courthouse with her husband Todd Palin after court recessed for lunch, in Knoxville, Tenn. the government paid more than $29,000 to fly members of the Palin family and other witnesses to Knoxville, send a prosecutor to Alaska for research and pay other travel expenses, according to the Department of Justice records obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
FILE - In this photo combo former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, left, and Katie Couric, right, are shown. Palin was the much-hyped guest co-host on NBC's "Today," going head-to-head against former "Today" anchor Katie Couric, on Tuesday, April 3, 2012. (AP Photo)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, greets Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after introducing her at the 40th annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 16, 2013. Diehard activists at the three-day conference are already picking favorites in what could be a crowded Republican presidential primary in 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Former Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign event, Saturday, April 2, 2016, in Racine, Wisc. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin attends an event to promote her television show, "Amazing America with Sarah Palin," at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and hugs Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a rally held at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Okla., Wednesday, Jan 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Brandi Simons)
Sarah Palin is seen on a T-Shirt as Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns in Pueblo, Colo., Monday, Sept. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Sarah Palin addresses the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, La., Thursday, May 29, 2014. Midterm election campaigns are in full swing, but several thousand Republicans gathering in Louisiana look toward a bigger prize. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
Former vice presidential Republican candidate Sarah Palin speaks during a Tea Party rally against the Iran deal on the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday Sept. 9, 2015. The rally is being attended by Republican presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2008 file photo, then-Republican Presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his running mate Sarah Palin waves to the crowed as she is joined by McCain at the end of her speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. McCain is waging another national campaign, this time, to define his legacy. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Eddie Murphy, left, and Sarah Palin, right, attend the SNL 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin walks through the pit area before the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
FILE- In this Feb. 26, 2015 file photo, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md. Fox News Channel said Wednesday, June 24, 2015, that it was not renewing Palin's contract as a contributor. The professional divorce, first reported in Politico, was described as amicable. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
The belt buckle of former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, reads "Girls with Guns" as she greets attendees of a county women's group meeting to campaign for Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Karen Handel, Thursday, April 3, 2014, in Union City, Ga. Palin is riding to the defense of the only Republican woman in the nomination fight for Georgia's open Senate seat, hitting back against GOP rival David Perdue's apparent dismissal of Karen Handel's high school education. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
FILE - In this June 15, 2013 file photo, Sarah Palin speaks during the Faith and Freedom Coalition Road to Majority 2013 conference in Washington. The Sportsman Channel said Monday, July 7, 2014, that Palin’s series, “Amazing America,” is being renewed for a second season that will start early next year. The former Republican vice presidential candidate profiles outdoor enthusiasts and craftsmen for the series. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the leadership forum at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting Friday, May 3, 2013 in Houston. (AP Photo/Steve Ueckert)
FILE- This Nov. 7, 2006 file photo shows Sarah Palin, right, walking with Paulette Schuerch of Kotzebue, Alaska, and Sean Parnell, left, to Election Central headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, after Palin was declared the winner of the Alaska governor's race. The election night tradition in Alaska of candidates of all parties milling about at Election Central awaiting election results or going there for media interviews has ended. State election officials, looking for places to cut back, have said they will not be renting a convention center in Anchorage for the 2016 primary and general election watch parties, citing the cost and questioning the state’s continued role in the event at a time when results can now be easily accessed online. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2008, file photo, Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, right, delivers a speech as Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduces her as his vice presidential running mate at Wright State University's Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio. Eight years after stumping across the nation as the Republican Party's presidential candidate, McCain is back on the campaign trail in his home state as he faces a primary challenge and a strong Democratic opponent, State Sen. Kelli Ward, in the general election. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
FILE - In this July 27, 2012 file photo, Bristol Palin attends the "Dancing with the Stars: All Stars" panel at the Disney ABC TCA Day 2 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter announced her pregnancy on ET, Friday, Dec. 10, 2016. She and husband Dakota Meyer said they are excited and "blessed" to welcome a baby in the spring. A Palin family spokesman declined to comment. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)
FILE - In a Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 file photo, Sarah Palin, political commentator and former governor of Alaska, walks on the sideline before an NFL football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams, in Seattle. A story posted by Newslo on Jan. 6, 2017, claiming Palin blamed recent fatal shooting at a Florida airport on “Mexican Muslims” is false. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund, File)
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin speaks at a rally Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala. Palin is in Montgomery to support Judge Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate candidacy. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, sits in her vehicle with Steve Schmidt, chief strategist for the McCain campaign after arriving on a chartered plane with Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for the Republican National Convention at the Minneapolis International Airport in Bloomington, Minn., Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
This combination photo shows former Alaska Gov. and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 26, 2015, left, and former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore at a news conference in Birmingham, Ala., on Nov. 16, 2017. Both Palin and Moore have said they were duped by actor Sacha Baron Cohen for his upcoming television series, "Who Is America?," premiering Sunday, July 15 on Showtime. (AP Photo)
FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2018, file photo, Track Palin, left, talks with his lawyer Patrick Bergt before a hearing in Anchorage, Alaska. The oldest son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin checked in to an Anchorage halfway house Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, to begin a year in custody in an assault on his father. Track Palin was initially scheduled to enter the halfway house Oct. 31 after new assault allegations disqualified him from a veterans therapeutic court program. But he won a delay after his lawyer said a bed at a treatment hospital for veterans became available. (AP Photo/Rachel D'Oro, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, Republican vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband Todd wave as they leave the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska bound for Wasilla to vote in the presidential election. Court documents suggest the husband of former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is seeking a divorce. The court papers were filed by a plaintiff identified as T.M.P. against S.L.P. Friday, Sept. 6, 2019. Todd Palin's middle name is Mitchell and Sarah Palin's middle name is Louise. The documents also note the couple married Aug. 29, 1988, the same wedding date as the Palins. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sticks out her tongue as she leaves Federal court, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in New York. Palin’s libel suit against The New York Times went to trial Thursday in a case over the former Alaska governor’s claims the newspaper damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin pushes past members of the media as she leaves Federal court, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in New York.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin reacts to a reporter's question as she leaves Federal court, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in New York, following proceedings in her defamation case against The New York Times. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
In this courtroom sketch, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin testifies in her defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in federal court, Wednesday Feb. 9, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)
Sarah Palin is escorted to her car by Ron Duguay after leaving the courthouse in New York, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told a jury Thursday she felt like she was at the mercy of a “Goliath” when she first learned a 2017 New York Times editorial suggested her campaign rhetoric helped incite a mass shooting.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin arrives at federal court with former NHL hockey player Ron Duguay in New York on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Palin claims the New York Times damaged her reputation with an editorial linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin shows off a video of her birthday message after leaving federal court in New York on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. A widely circulated New York Times editorial falsely linking former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a mass shooting was a libelous display of arrogance and unchecked power, Palin’s lawyer said in closing arguments Friday at a defamation trial. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leaves a courthouse in New York, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. A judge said Monday he’ll dismiss a libel lawsuit that Palin filed against The New York Times, claiming the newspaper damaged her reputation with an editorial falsely linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff made the ruling with a jury still deliberating at a New York trial where the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate testified last week.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
FILE - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin leaves a courthouse in New York, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. A Manhattan judge said Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 that lawyers for the former Alaska governor are seeking a new trial on her defamation claims against The New York Times, along with his removal from the case. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - in this Sept, 5, 2011 file photo, former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at a Tea Party Express Rally in Manchester, N.H. Eyebrows shot up when Palin used a salty acronym, WTF, to mock the policies of President Barack Obama in 2011. How quaint. Five years later, Donald Trump has blown right past acronyms in a profanity-laced campaign for the Republican nomination that has seen multiple candidates hurl insults and disparaging remarks at one another and their critics. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin waves as she walks onstage to address the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)