Most governors can make a day trip to Iowa or New Hampshire to do a little pre-campaigning campaigning (but really, I'm not running!). That's a little hard to do from Juneau. Maybe to Seattle and back but you can't actually get from Juneau to Boston and back in the same day, even if just land and take off again. The trip is too long.
But that doesn't explain why she is quitting. It might explain why she isn't running for another term.
I think the truth (barring some revelation that may be forthcoming) is that she loved campaigning because that's all about the campaigner. People chanting your name. Everyone wanting to shake your hand. Governing is BORING. It's a lot of pushing paper and meetings about things no one cares about but that have to be done (because if they aren't done people WOULD care!) It's tedious and unless you are a policy wonk (which SP most obviously is not) it's a real drag.
So yeah, it would be easier for her to run for president while not being in Alaska. She and the governor of Hawaii would have unique challenges in that regard. But I don't think that's what's going on. I'm not sure even her staff knows given the haphazard nature of the resignation.
And seriously, do governors just not have handlers any more? This and the Sanford resignations were embarrassing. Not just the substance but the presentation just seemed amateurish.
Houndentenor
"Get the trash off the street and back on the stage where it belongs." -- Bette Midler
