Trucking to Office: Driver goes for governor
JUNEAU, Alaska — He can’t see Russia from his house, we’re not sure how good of a shot he is, and he sure ain’t a former beauty queen, but trucker ‘Singin Sam’ Little is hoping he still has what it takes to take Sarah Palin’s former seat as Alaska’s next governor.
The 67-year-old American trucker, who hauls through western Canada between Alaska and Washington, hopes that a down-to-earth truck driver will be able to help the people of Alaska.
Like Palin, his ability to speak plainly about issues and connect with average working class people should come in handy.
Little will be running in the primary elections on Aug. 24 for the Republican Party and part of his focus will be on creating jobs in the state and bringing Alaska into the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA).
Little is also known for his big heart. Back in 2002, a friend of his in Watson Lake, Yukon was raising money for a Canadian Inuit boy with leukemia who needed to get to Vancouver for treatment. Little stepped in and his efforts helped to raise more than enough money.
The trucker’s other Canadian connection is that he’s married to one. He and his wife were in Williams Lake, B.C. earlier this year when Today’s Trucking ran into him and chatted him up.
"In the first round we raised $17,000 and in the next two years after we raised close to $40,000 for children with leukemia and the children’s hospital," explains Little. "The boy has recovered and is 9 or 10 now, and playing hockey."
Little has never run in an election before and is decorating one of his rigs to parade in community celebrations to deliver his message, rather than invest in television ads.
The musical trucker even wrote a song about it called, "Truck Driver for Governor."
If he wins the nomination Little will run against the Democrat representative in the general election on Nov. 2.
He’s up against stiff competition to be sure, but as a certain Alaskan hockey mom with five kids who rose to become Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States can probably confirm: Stranger things have happened.
Read more about Sam by clicking on his campaign website, here.
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