Republican tells Palin to stay out of primaries

A Republican congressman Wednesday advised former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to stay out of GOP primary contests.

Rep. Jack Kingston's (Ga.) comments came on the heels of his state's GOP gubernatorial primary runoff, which pitted former Rep. Nathan Deal against former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel. Palin endorsed Handel, who lost.

Asked on the conservative "America's Morning News" radio show if Palin should butt out of primary elections, Kingston — a Deal supporter — said yes.

"Well yes, I wish she will because what she is doing is dividing the Republican Party at a time when we don't need to be divided," he said.

Palin, who is a potential 2012 presidential candidate, has made several primary endorsements around the country this cycle that have been closely watched.

Handel's loss has renewed debate over the effectiveness of her endorsements. Deal was backed by two of Palin's potential 2012 rivals: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) 

Kingston expressed confusion over why Palin decides to endorse primary candidates, adding that Gingrich is a Georgia native and Huckabee worked closely with Deal.

"Why Sarah Palin decided to get in the race is beyond me," he said. "I don't know why she feels compelled to get into primaries all over the country. But, you know, fortunately Georgia voters are doing their own thinking on things like this."

Palin, who has endorsed a number of GOP women she dubbed her "mama grizzlies," stumped for Handel before Tuesday's runoff. 

Kingston called Handel a "very decent candidate but she's clearly the more moderate person in the race."

"Maybe we do need to consider Sarah Palin, as someone who shoots from the hip too much," he added. 

LISTEN:

Georgia Congressman Says Palin Needs to Butt Out of Primaries by HumanEvents

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