Rabe examines Palin’s energy record as she angles for Trump cabinet appointment

February 25, 2016

In his latest Brookings article, “Trump Cabinet Auditions: Progressive Energy Secretary Sarah Palin?,” Barry Rabe examines Sarah Palin’s energy record during her time as an Alaska policymaker. 

Palin, the GOP’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, has made it known since September that she wants to be Donald Trump’s energy secretary should he be elected president.

Rabe chronicles Palin’s rise to prominence in Alaska, which was fueled by her energy policies and reforms, and examines the impact her policies have had since she resigned as governor in 2009.

Though Trump has yet to accept Palin’s offer to join his cabinet, he has stated that he would consider her for a position in his administration.

Barry Rabe is the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and director of the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. He also holds appointments in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Political Science, and the Program in the Environment. He is a non-resident senior fellow in the Governance Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and is currently on sabbatical serving as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Much of his recent research examines state and regional policies to reduce greenhouse gases.