Sarah Palin is making her first major post-not-running-for-president endorsement, endorsing Indiana state treasurer Richard Mourdock on her Facebook page:
"I join commonsense conservatives in endorsing Richard Mourdock to be the next Senator from Indiana. Conservatives of all stripes are uniting behind Richard Mourdock. It’s not just Indiana that benefits from sending the right Senator to serve for the right reasons; the nation as a whole benefits, and that is one reason why the eyes of so many around the nation are focused on the Indiana race.
"Indiana deserves a conservative in the Senate who will fight for the Hoosier State, uphold our Constitution, and not just go along to get along with the vested interests of the permanent political class in D.C.
"Richard Mourdock is the conservative choice for Indiana. Senator Lugar’s 36 years of service as a Senator are appreciated, but it’s time for the torch to pass to conservative leadership in Washington that promises to rein in government spending now."
It's not a shock that Palin would go against the establishment candidate. But it will be a measure of where her political clout stands right now, after months of trying to elevate a conservative alternative to presumptive nominee Mitt Romney in the presidential primary.
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