Sarah Palin’s Snub Of Paul Ryan Persists: Ex-Governor Supports Paul Nehlen In Republican Primary


Sarah Palin is sticking to her guns — and the Paul Ryan snub continues, as the Republican Party appears to be on a crash-and-burn course in the 2016 elections, led by the antics of Donald Trump.

According to a CNN report on August 7, Palin has doubled-down on her earlier threats to denounce support for the Speaker of the House. Late Friday, Palin took to her Facebook page and posted a message of continued support for Ryan’s challenger in the Wisconsin 1st District upcoming vote.

“Proud to be standing with Paul Nehlen since May 9th — Wisconsin please vote for this man ‘of the people’ this Tuesday!”

Oddly, Palin’s endorsement reiteration came only minutes after Donald Trump announced his support for Speaker Ryan. Trump’s backing came after a months-long feud between him and Ryan over ideology and the Republican platform. The former governor of Alaska was John McCain’s vice presidential running mate in 2008.

Gov. Palin believes Speaker Ryan’s reticence to support Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee at the time, would result in his failed political career. In May, during a Sunday segment of CNN’s “State of the Union,” Palin spoke with Jake Tapper and made a controversial prediction.

Palin compared Ryan’s predicted downfall to Eric Cantor’s demise. In a blindsided upset that political pundits didn’t see coming, the former Republican House majority leader was ousted back in 2014 in Virginia by challenger Dave Brat.

“I think Paul Ryan is soon to be ‘Cantored.’ His political career is over but for a miracle because he has so disrespected the will of the people, and as the leader of the GOP, the convention, certainly he is to remain neutral, and for him to already come out and say who he will not support is not a wise decision of his.”

Palin and McCain ran unsuccessfully against Barack Obama and Joe Biden eight years ago, despite Palin’s rock-star persona among conservatives and Tea Party affiliates. Early this year, the Washington Post pointed to a study that suggested Sarah Palin cost McCain a hefty 2 million votes in the race for President of the United States.

“According to a 2010 study from researchers at Stanford University, noted by Brendan Nyhan, Palin’s presence on the 2008 Republican presidential ticket cost John McCain 1.6 percentage points. In an election in which 131 million people voted, that’s 2.1 million votes that McCain should have gotten but didn’t.”

Some political pundits suggest that the study shows the negative influence Sarah Palin potentially has on the Trump campaign. Based on a Gallup poll in 2013, Sarah Palin’s “favorability” among Americans stood at only 31 percent. However, that support doubled among registered Republican voters. Experts believe the support remains fairly the same today.

On Palin’s support, Nehlen said he welcomed a nod from the former Alaska governor. He quickly pointed out that he believes Trump’s last minute support of Ryan is less of an approval of the Speaker’s policies than it is part of the strategy; Trump is trying to shore up party unity ahead of the primaries.

Nehlen recently accused Paul Ryan of being a covert elitist and pawn for “corporate masters.” The 47-year-old largely unknown challenger says Ryan and GOP insiders are cowering to Democrats in bipartisan legislation aimed at easing immigration laws.

Recently, a crowd, with several relatives of victims murdered by illegal immigrants in attendance, gathered outside Ryan’s posh estate. Footage emerged showing the House Speaker and his security detail fleeing the community as tensions rose.

Polls suggest Ryan will easily win re-election on Tuesday. He’s been a constant fixture in his district and has spent upwards of $600,000 during the campaign. Still, the general consensus is that Trump and Nehlen’s rhetoric against Washington insider politics has opened up a debate about undocumented immigrants, among other issues.

[Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images]

Share this article: Sarah Palin’s Snub Of Paul Ryan Persists: Ex-Governor Supports Paul Nehlen In Republican Primary
More from Inquisitr