Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) Wednesday said that her endorsements of political candidates can sometimes bring negative aspects to their campaigns.
Palin's comments came after the last major primary night before the November midterm elections. Palin-endorsed candidate Christine O'Donnell stole the spotlight by defeating nine-term Rep. Mike Castle in the Delaware GOP Senate primary.
But the 2008 vice presidential nominee said that her involvement in races might not always benefit the candidates she endorses.
“I’ll do whatever I can. I want to help, though, and not hurt," she told Fox News. "And, you know, sometimes it’s a double-edged sword there if my name is connected to anybody."
Some political observers have questioned the effectiveness of Palin's strategy of endorsing a litany of GOP primary candidates around the country and whether they have caused internal dissension within the GOP.
They have also speculated her actions could be connected to a potential run for president in 2012.
Palin flatly denied that she was endorsing candidates for personal or political gain.
"I am not in this for any kind of personal gain or power grab at all," she said. "I don’t even know how to play those types of games and I don’t have the people, the machine, or whatever it takes to be in a position like that."
The ex-governor has endorsed mostly Tea Party-backed candidates but has also backed several establishment candidates in states that have early presidential primaries, such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
Out of the 36 state and national races that have been held in which a Palin-endorsed candidate has run, 25 have won and 11 have lost. Palin also has a 6-2 record in GOP Senate primaries. On Tuesday two out of three candidates Palin backed in major races won their contests.
Palin said that, in Delaware, people should unite behind O'Donnell even though the race between her and Castle became heated in its final days.
"What we need to do is not lose sight of the ability we have here now — the opportunity to celebrate and capitalize on a weakened left, a weakened Democrat Party, and we need to go forth and conquer for the American people," she said. "It is time to put aside internal power grabs, and greed, and egos within the party, and to fight united for what’s right and beneficial for all Americans."
