Palin, Fundraising Firm Part Ways



Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has had some trouble coordinating her Alaska staff and those working for her PAC. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Campaign Solutions, a Republican consulting firm advising Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee, has parted ways with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.

The group had been working with the Palin operation to raise money for SarahPAC but decided to step aside after a series of strategic and philosophic differences, according to a source familiar with the decision.

Campaign Solutions head Becki Donatelli had long been associated with the fundraising efforts of Arizona Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and got to know Palin during last year's presidential campaign.

When Palin decided to set up a PAC earlier this year as a first step toward solidifying her role on the national stage and potentially positioning herself for a 2012 presidential run, Donatelli's firm was the obvious choice to help raise money for the fledgling effort.

"When the Governor gave Kristan Cole permission to launch a legal expense fund, she had one request: keep it in Alaska. Campaign Solutions is not based in Alaska," said SarahPAC spokesperson Meghan Stapleton. We appreciate Donatelli's good work for us, but as we have been saying all along, the Governor is focused on Alaska and Alaskans."

Pam Pryor, the DC-based spokeswoman for SarahPAC, will stay on in her current role.

SarahPAC formally incorporated in late January but is not required to file a report detailing its contributions and expenditures until the end of June.

The parting of ways between Palin and Campaign Solutions is the latest sign of a divide between the governor's official Alaska staff and those advising her on the national level. Palin has struggled badly to balance those competing interests; she recently agreed to and then canceled an appearance at a fundraiser to benefit the Republican House and Senate campaign committees.

The news of the latest problem in Palin's political world comes on the same day that the Alaska governor announced the formation of the Alaska Fund Trust, an official legal fund designed to "defend the integrity of the Alaska Governor's Office from an onslaught of political attacks launched against current Governor Sarah Palin, the First Family, and state-employed colleagues," according to a mission statement on the organization's Web site.

It also comes less than 24 hours after Levi Johnston, the former fiancee of her daughter, Bristol, appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" to discuss his relationship with the Palins.