Gov. Palin's office announced Friday night that two more ethics complaints have been filed against her in the last week.

(CNN) – The two new ethics complaints filed against Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the past week should be ‘a wake-up call,’ the former Republican vice presidential candidate says.

In a statement released late Friday night, Palin’s office announced that two more ethics complaints had been filed against the governor in the week since she made her surprise announcement that she plans to step down later this month -including one complaint filed on Friday.

“Although the governor would not have thought it possible, the latest complaint rises to a new level of absurdity in alleging that she has been paid for interviews that she has given to the news media,” Palin’s chief of staff Mike Nizich said in a release announcing the filing of the recent complaints.

“It is amazing to me that anyone could think that, let alone put their name behind it and once again seek to distract state officials and needlessly increase their work load. The state is losing the value of some of its expenditures when public servants are pulled away from important assignments to deal with far-fetched and mean-spirited allegations,” added Nizich.

For her own part Palin used the leveling of two more ethics complaints against her in a week’s time to call for a more productive political discourse in her state.

“The only saving grace in this recent episode is that it proves beyond any doubt the significance of the problem Alaska faces in the ‘new normal’ of political discourse,” Palin also said in Friday’s statement announcing the complaints. “I hope this will be a wake-up call – to legislators, to commentators and to citizens generally – that we need a much more civil and respectful dialogue that focuses on the best interests of the state, rather than the petty resentments of a few.”

Of the total of 19 ethics complaints that have been filed against Palin or her staff, “15 have been resolved without any finding of wrongdoing, and four are now pending,” Friday’s statement from Palin’s office also said.

She may be a hit with the base, but she won't be hitting the trail for Christie.

(CNN) — New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie says he won't invite Sarah Palin to join him on the campaign trail.

"This is about New Jersey issues and New Jersey, and I don't think having Gov. Palin here would do me, or frankly the state, a whole lot of good in the sense that we need to talk and focus on what the New Jersey issues are," Christie said during a radio interview on New Jersey 101.5 FM. CNN confirmed his comments with Christie's campaign.

Following Palin's stunning announcement that she would be stepping down as Alaska governor later this month, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele issued a statement saying that she "will be very helpful to the Party this year as we wage critical campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey."

But in Virginia, where Republican Bob McDonnell is running in a tight race against Democrat Creigh Deeds, McDonnell's campaign this week would not say if the 2008 vice presidential nominee had been invited to join him on the trail. In an interview earlier this week with ABC News.com, McDonnell praised Palin but stopped short of actually inviting her to campaign in Virginia.

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Johnston is the ex-fiance of Bristol Palin, the Alaska governor's daughter.

(CNN) — Sarah Palin wanted to take the money and "just run with it," the father of her grandchild said Thursday.

Levi Johnston told reporters the Alaska governor was stepping down early to take advantage of millions in potential earnings. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the 19-year-old said that late last year he heard Palin say "how nice it would be to take some of this money people have been offering us and just run with it, and saying forget everything else."

He pointed to talk show offers and other potentially lucrative deals.

Earlier this week, Palin attorney Thomas Van Flein told the Washington Post that the governor had received "hundreds of credible offers since the campaign," including Hollywood projects, but had not taken advantage of any except her book deal. Johnston said that even the Palin children had been fielding offers.

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The Iowa Republican Party wants Sarah Palin to visit its state.

(CNN) — Who wouldn't want a big name to headline a major fundraiser? And the Iowa Republican Party is going after one of the biggest draws right now, Sarah Palin.

As first reported in the Des Moines Register and confirmed by CNN, the state GOP is courting the Alaska governor to be the keynote speaker at their annual Ronald Reagan dinner this autumn. The event is the party's largest fundraiser of the year, and has become a popular stop for White House hopefuls.

Aides to Palin have not immediately responded to inquires from CNN regarding whether the outgoing governor will attend the dinner.

Palin shocked many across the country last week when she announced that she would not only not run for re-election next year, but that she would resign as governor later this month.

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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to step down in late July.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) – If Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin thought her decision to step down might end ethics accusations against her, she quickly found out she was wrong.

Just days after her bombshell resignation announcement, a new ethics complaint was filed with state authorities arguing that she should not be able to claim per diem funds when she stays at her Wasilla, Alaska, home instead of Anchorage or Juneau, where she has offices. The complaint says she was charging the state when she stayed in Wasilla and commuted to her offices.

The governor's mansion is located in Juneau.

Palin claims she is the target of the "politics of personal destruction," as she and some staff members face 19 filings regarding allegations of ethical violations.

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Seven in 10 Americans said Sarah Palin's decision to resign had no impact on their opinion of her, according to a new poll.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — It was a stunning announcement that caught many across the country completely by surprise.

Now, four days after Sarah Palin announced that she will step down later this month as governor of Alaska, a new national poll by USA Today/Gallup indicates that seven in 10 Americans say Palin's decision had no affect on their opinion of her.

The survey also suggests a wide partisan split over whether respondents would likely vote for Palin if she decides to run for the White House in 2012. More than seven in 10 Republicans said they would be likely to vote for Palin for the presidency. That number drops to 34 percent among independents and to 17 percent among Democrats.

"Many Americans have deeply-held opinions about Palin as a result of the national campaign in 2008," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Assuming Palin decides to run for the White House in 2012, public opinion is less likely to be affected by her resignation, and more likely to be swayed by what she does once she leaves office."

CNN radio reports on the public response to Palin's move:

The USA Today/Gallup poll was conducted Monday, three days after Palin announced that she would resign as governor, with 1,000 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – National Democrats wasted no time in accusing Sarah Palin of abandoning her state after the Alaska governor revealed Friday that she was resigning from office.

Five days later and 4,600 miles away, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chairman is leveling the same charge against New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, who announced Tuesday she would soon leave office to explore a Senate bid in 2010.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley's sharp criticism of Ayotte is not surprising – he is trying to discredit, perhaps, the strongest candidate the Republican Party could field in this open seat race next year. But what is interesting is that Buckley compared Ayotte to Palin.
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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to step down in late July has rankled both Republicans and Democrats.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin caught the political world by surprise when she announced that she will resign at the end of July.

Her decision has not only rankled political pundits and observers in Alaska and across the country, it has, oddly enough, united Democrats and Republicans in confusion.

But the 45-year-old governor's future could be aimed at being the ultimate GOP superstar, whether it's giving million-dollar speeches, traveling the lower 48 states on a book tour or even getting her own TV show.

Read More: Virginia and NJ Republicans non-committal on Palin

John Ridley of National Public Radio says she has the potential to be a Republican "kingmaker."

"She was never going to be president of the United States. But who's got all the sway in the Republican Party right now? It's the political pundits; it's the talk show hosts; it's the people who are not responsible to an electorate," Ridley told CNN's Campbell Brown. "I would not be surprised if around 2011 people are circling around Sarah Palin, saying, 'please, anoint us for the road to the White House.' She's never going to be president but possibly a kingmaker."

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"I am not a quitter. I am a fighter," Palin told CNN on Monday while on a family fishing trip, on the heels of her Friday bombshell announcement that she was resigning as Alaska's governor.

Palin did her interview standing on the shores of Dillingham, Alaska, wearing hip waders. She granted 10-minute interviews to CNN and three other news networks Monday.

She resigned because of the tremendous pressure, time and financial burden of a litany of ethics complaints in the past several months, she said. The complaints were without merit and took away from the job she wanted to do for Alaskans, Palin said.

The decision to resign a year and a half before her term ends, and her rambling, often-disjointed resignation speech Friday, fueled days of debate among political analysts.

Speculation has run rampant that Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, will seek the presidency in 2012.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) — No legal "bombshell" or personal scandal lies behind Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's resignation, but off-color jokes by talk-show host David Letterman contributed to her decision to step down, Palin's attorney said Monday.

Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, abruptly announced Friday that she would leave office in late July. The decision to resign a year and a half before her term ends, and her rambling, often-disjointed resignation speech, have fueled days of debate among political analysts.

But Thomas Van Flein, Palin's personal lawyer, said no surprises await. The governor needed a break after being "on duty now for two and a half years solid," he said.

"There is no bombshell. There is no shoe to drop. There are no investigations of any type that I'm aware of — no IRS audit, no federal investigation, no state investigation," Van Flein told CNN. "There is no legal reason in terms of a legal problem that compelled the governor to resign."

Friday was "deliberately chosen" for the announcement because of its proximity to the July Fourth holiday, Van Flein said: "She declared her independence from politics as usual."

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Will closely-watched GOP campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey welcome Sarah Palin?

(CNN) – When Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Friday that she was resigning from office, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele issued a statement saying that she "will be very helpful to the Party this year as we wage critical campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey."

But the Republican candidates for governor in those two states are being cagey on whether or not the polarizing Alaskan will be welcome on the campaign trail.

In Virginia, where Bob McDonnell is running in a tight race against Democrat Creigh Deeds, a spokeswoman for McDonnell's campaign would say only: "We have not held or announced any events with governor Palin." The campaign would not say if the 2008 vice presidential nominee had been invited.

But in February, McDonnell campaign manger Phil Cox told CNN that Palin had been offered an invitation to campaign for McDonnell. While Cox said nothing had been finalized, he added in that February conversation that Palin staffers "have indicated the governor wants to help."
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The co-founder of a pro-Palin online movement says there was an enormous surge in interest over the weekend after the Alaska governor's surprise announcement on Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – While Marjorie Dannenfelser acknowledges that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to resign from office "defies conventional wisdom," it hasn't dampened the enthusiasm this mother of five has for Palin to run for president in 2012.

"One thing we have learned about Sarah Palin is that conventional wisdom is just that," said Dannenfelser, co-founder of Team Sarah, a 70,000 person strong on-line movement dedicated to promoting all-things Palin. "She is not a conventional campaigner. She is not a conventional model of women in politics. And it is that very lack of conventionality is what attracts grassroots supporters to her."

If Palin wants to increase her influence in the Republican Party or run a serious campaign for president in 2012, she is going to need the backing of grassroots activists, as it now appears the GOP establishment is distancing itself from the soon-to-be former Alaska governor. Very few GOP strategists have described Palin's decision to resign from office with 18 months remaining as a political wise move, and many have even suggested that her decision was so irrational that she can no longer be considered a serious contender for the GOP nomination.

But Dannenfelser understands the grassroots, specifically social conservatives — an influential Republican constituency. She is the president of the "Susan B. Anthony List" and "Team Sarah" is under the umbrella of this anti-abortion rights organization.

Over the weekend, Dannenfelser said that she saw "an enormous surge of support for" Palin and noted that membership at "Team Sarah," alone, has grown by 1,000 people.
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A person close to Sarah Palin told CNN Monday that the Alaska governor's life 'is very difficult.'

(CNN) — A person close to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with knowledge of her thinking told CNN Monday that her decision to end her term early "is not part of a grand strategy" to run for president, and that he does not believe she will mount a White House bid — but conceded that, as far as he knows, she has not ruled out the prospect.

Her decision to step down sprang from personal considerations, he said. The combination of family duties and commuting posed a major challenge. "Her life is very difficult," he said. "She cannot spend time with her family."

Another strike against Palin continuing her government service: her mounting legal bills. "Life is not happy for her" right now, he said. Once she decided not to run for re-election, he believes it made perfect sense to step down as soon as possible. The move frees her to raise money for candidates, push causes she cares about, and have the freedom to travel as she pleases.

He's not aware of any single event that served as the immediate catalyst for Palin's decision, but adds that she was underpressure to make a decision whether or not she would seek another term as governor, so others in the state GOP could prepare for the race.

Alaska's Sarah Palin is stepping down as governor at the end of the month.

(CNN) — The FBI, in a rare response to rampant rumors on the Internet, said it is not investigating Alaska Gov. Sara Palin on public corruption charges.

"Normally, we don't confirm or deny those kind of allegations out there. But, by not doing so, it just casts her in a very bad light," said FBI Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, who confirmed for CNN the statement he made to the Anchorage Daily News. "There is just no truth to those rumors out there in the blogosphere."

Gonzalez told the Los Angeles Times that there was "no wiggle room" in his comments for any kind of inquiry.

The speculation began almost immediately after Palin's unexpected announcement on Friday that she would step down as Alaska's chief executive with 18 months left in her term.

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In deciding to leave office early, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said, on CNN's State of the Union, that Palin has made "a very risky decision."

"She's jumping out of the frying pan into the hot glare of the media spotlight, into the fire. And she has the potential of flaming out before 2012," Brazile said.

"She needs to manage her next 15 minutes of fame a lot better than she has done over the last year of being on [sic] the national spotlight," Brazile added, suggesting that Palin should take her newfound free time to write her book, to give public speeches and to "have an opportunity to learn a little bit more about foreign policy."

Republican strategist Ed Rollins, who supported Mike Huckabee's failed 2008 presidential bid, slammed Palin's resignation announcement.

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In a memo circulated to reporters Saturday evening, an attorney warned that the Palins will go to court if others re-publish allegations of wrongdoing already published by certain Web sites including one run by a liberal Alaska blogger.

(CNN) – As Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the media Saturday in a tough Facebook post, her attorney delivered a strong warning to news outlets that they should not report any stories that allege the Alaska governor is leaving office because she is under any kind of federal investigation.

CNN has not reported these allegations were in any way connected to the governor's decision to leave office early.

"To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as 'fact' that Governor Palin resigned because she is 'under federal investigation' for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation," said lawyer Thomas Van Flein in a letter (pdf) sent to reporters Saturday.

"This is to provide notice to Ms. Moore, and those who re-publish the defamation… that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law."

Moore could not be reached for comment, but told the Anchorage Daily News that she had not presented the claims as fact, and did not know whether or not they had merit, but merely served as a conduit for the rumors — which had been raised again in the wake of the governor's surprise announcement Friday.
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Republican strategist Karl Rove said Sunday that Gov. Sarah Palin's decision to step down risky and not clear.

(CNN) — The "architect" of George W. Bush's successful presidential campaigns has questions about Sarah Palin's resignation as governor.

"It's a risky strategy," Republican campaign mastermind Karl Rove told "Fox News Sunday."

Palin's unexpected announcement Friday that she will step down with 18 months left in her first term has left many in her party "a little perplexed," said Rove, whom Bush dubbed "The Architect" for managing his two victorious campaigns in 2000 and 2004.
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Sarah Palin blasted the 'main stream media' in a July 4 message posted on Facebook.

(CNN) – In an Independence Day message to supporters, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she was leaving office for a "higher calling" and blasted the "main stream media" for failing to understand her decision.

"How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it’s about country," she said in a message posted on her Facebook page. "And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make. But every American understands what it takes to make a decision because it’s right for all, including your family."

Palin said her administration had "accomplished more during this one term than most governors do in two."

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WASHINGTON (CNN) — Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate, released a statement following his former running mate Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor:

"I have the greatest respect and affection for Sarah, Todd, and their family. I was deeply honored to have her as my running mate and believe she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican party and our nation."

McCain raised eyebrows during a spring appearance on the Tonight Show when he listed five current and former GOP governors as possible party leaders — but didn't include Palin.

The Arizona senator has said in other interviews it is too early to say whether he will support her should she run for president in 2012.

But he's also praised Palin since Election Day, saying late last year of the Alaska governor, "It's one of the great pleasures I've had to get to know her and her family, and I think she has a very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party."

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — daughter of Frank Murkowski, who was defeated by Sarah Palin in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary — released a statement Friday after the governor announced her decision to leave office by the end of the month. Full text:

“I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.”

Her office added that the senator was traveling "in interior Alaska and communicating via satellite phone and is unavailable for follow up questions" for the rest of the weekend.

Last year, shortly after the GOP presidential ticket's November loss, Murkowski warned Palin not to make a run for her Senate seat: “I can guarantee it would be a very tough election,” she told Politico.