Palin to resign as Alaska governor

Sarah Palin is quitting as Alaska's governor and may focus on a run for the White House in the 2012 race

Alaska governor Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential nominee, has announced she is resigning from office at the end of the month.

Mrs Palin, 45, and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial "hockey mom" would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid in 2012.

Mrs Palin's spokesman, David Murrow, said the governor didn't say anything to him about this being her "political finale" and added that he interpreted Mrs Palin's comment about working outside government as reflecting her current job only.

"She's looking forward to serving the public outside the governor's chair," he said.

And Pam Pryor, a spokeswoman for Mrs Palin's political action committee SarahPAC, said the group continues to accept donations on its website, with an upsurge in funds after Mrs Palin's announcement.

In a hastily arranged news conference at her home in suburban Wasilla, Mrs Palin said she will formally step down on July 26, and Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be inaugurated at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks.

She said she had decided against running for re-election as Alaska's governor, and believed it was best to leave office even though she had two years left to her term.

"Many just accept that lame duck status, and they hit that road. They draw a paycheque. They kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that," she said.

Mrs Palin was seen as a likely presidential contender in 2012 and had proved formidable among the party's base.

But the last week brought a highly critical piece in Vanity Fair magazine, with unnamed campaign aides questioning if Mrs Palin was ever really prepared for the presidency.