Alaska gov. candidates await Palin move

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- Growing speculation that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will not seek reelection in 2010 has other potential candidates eagerly awaiting a decision, observers say.

The Washington publication Politico reported Tuesday that politicians in both Alaska and Washington believe Palin's silence on her 2010 plans is a sign the former Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate will forgo a second term as governor to pursue a career in national politics.

Meanwhile, there is an array of potential gubernatorial candidates in Alaska, including at least three Democrats and six Republicans, who are awaiting her decision, Politico reported.

"There is nothing that she has done that leads me to believe she will seek reelection," said Andrew Halcro, a former Republican state legislator who ran for governor as an independent candidate in 2006. "If you're Palin, once you've flown first class, you don't go back to coach. She's been to the show and certainly seemed to like it there."

"(There is a) 50-50 chance she runs for governor," an unnamed former Palin staffer told Politico, adding, "If Sarah Palin has proven anything in her career, it's that she is full of surprises."