Published: July 04, 2009 09:32 pm      

Sarah Palin keeps low profile after surprise news that she’s stepping down

JUNEAU, Alaska — Where is Sarah Palin?

A day after surprising even her closest friends by announcing she would step down as Alaska governor more than a year before her term was up, the controversial hockey mom was keeping a low profile. Her spokesman, David Murrow, said Palin told him she was flying to Juneau, the state capital, for the Fourth of July weekend, but he wasn’t sure what activities she planned to attend.

The governor didn’t show up at a 50th anniversary statehood celebration. She wasn’t in the Capitol’s office. And no one answered the door at the governor’s mansion.

The only sign of Palin came on the social networking site Twitter, where she indicated she was watching the Juneau Fourth of July parade: “Lots of celebration of Independence & Alaska’s 50th Anniversary of Statehood.” But not even the parade director knew she had attended, and only a few people spotted her on the sidelines.

That left mounting questions about her plans for the future shrouded in mystery. Will she lay the groundwork for a 2012 presidential bid? Will she find a high-profile place in the private sector, maybe on the speech circuit? Will she drop out of the limelight and focus on her five children?

Her constituents, for one, wanted to know, especially in Juneau, where she has struggled to win over residents.

“I think she owes it to Alaskans to tell us why,” said state Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, the son of Alaska’s first governor, Bill Egan.

In fact, the only peep out of Palin on Saturday came on the social networking site Twitter, where she told military families: “Most special July 4 shout-out to you! Spouses, kids, parents, families of troops - THANKS for supporting our true heroes.”

At the same time, Palin informed Murrow early Saturday that someone using the name “exgovsarahpalin” on Twitter was spreading a false rumor that there was to be a party at her suburban home in Wasilla, outside Anchorage. Palin was afraid her home would be mobbed, and security was dispatched, Murrow said.

Juneau parade director Jean Sztuk said Palin rode a convertible last year and was invited again to this year’s event. She never responded, but parade organizers drew up banners in case she showed and was willing to take part.

As the last of the parade’s clowns and marching bands headed past her, Sztuk gave up on Palin. “What governor wants to be at the end of the parade?” she asked.

On Friday, Palin was in Wasilla, where she called a last-minute news conference to announce that not only was she not going to seek re-election as Alaska’s mayor, she wasn’t going to stick around and finish out her term.

She plans to step down July 26, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will take her place.

Palin, Republican John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential race, hasn’t given many details about her future. But she has hinted she has bigger plans in mind, leaving open the possibility she would seek the presidency in 2012.

On Friday afternoon, on Twitter, she promised supporters more details: “We’ll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election ... this is in Alaska’s best interest, my family’s happy ... it is good. Stay tuned.”