Palin Draws First Major Dem Challenger for 2010 Race

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has drawn her first Democratic challenger in a potential reelection bid in 2010, a hurdle the former vice presidential nominee may need to clear before pursuing national ambitions.

Democrat Bob Poe, the former Alaska State Commissioner of Administration and former CEO of Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, said Wednesday he will announce tomorrow that he intends to seek the Democratic nomination for governor of Alaska.

Poe is viewed as a serious, viable candidate by state Democrats, though there are some other candidates that could derail Poe’s bid to unseat Palin. Poe lacks statewide name recognition unlike a candidate such as Ethan Berkowitz, the Democrat who came close to defeating Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) this past November.

It is expected, though, that Poe would run a centrist, pragmatic campaign as an alternative to Palin.

Democrats feel that Palin’s vice presidential run brought to light more negative information about the governor than Alaskans had previously encountered, opening the door for a successful Democratic challenge. Still, they acknowledge that Palin’s still-unknown political ambitions on a national level are a key variable in the race.

Poe will announce his run Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Alaska time at Anchorage’s Dena