At first glance, one might ask, what does she bring to the party? What added value? Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump may stiffen the resolve of his supporters, drawn as they are from the same gene pool, but it will surely do little to reach out beyond the hard core to mainstream conservatives whose support Trump now has to begin to win.
But Palin, the former Alaska governor who was Senator John McCain's running mate in the 2008 election, does have an 'in' with Iowa Republicans, notably Tea Party supporters, party donors, and evangelicals. Some commentators believe she may actually secure the state for Trump. Its caucus at the end of the month is a key test for his nearest rival, Ted Cruz, whose polling is running neck and neck and who was a great fan of Palin. He once claimed he "would not be in the United States Senate were it not for Gov Sarah Palin. ... She can pick winners".
Her support for Trump, the first high-profile Republican endorsement he has picked up, was hardly a surprise. They are clones – loud, bombastic, verging on racist, Tea Party darlings, inconsistent, playing to a similar alienated working class constituency and equally contemptuous of the Washington “elite” and the Republican establishment. Both take pride in their ignorance of policy and have bizarre, often nonsensical, approaches to the English language. Both have a canny knack that belies their buffoonery of, as one writer put it, being able to spot and position themselves to take advantage of opportunities of the moment. The Donald now has The Sarah onside.
"Palin's brand among evangelicals is as gold as the faucets in Trump tower," Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, told the New York Times. Her support could help shield Trump in Iowa from charges that past positions make him too liberal to be the Republican nominee. Cruz is having a field day with old Trump quotes that detail his history of liberal stances and support for Democrats. No-one can say that of Palin. Iowa can make or break campaigns. Trump has just gotten himself some useful insurance.