Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) announced her fourth endorsement of the 2014 election cycle, backing Senate candidate and former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R) in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Shannon is running in a Republican primary which includes Rep. James Lankford ((R-Okla.) for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).
"Tom Coburn leaves large conservative shoes to fill as he retires from the U.S. Senate," Palin wrote. "At 6’5 feet tall, T.W. Shannon is just the leader to fill them. T.W. is the underdog in his race, but that’s not a position he’s unfamiliar with. He’s had to beat the odds all of his life. He became the first Republican to ever win his district’s seat in the Oklahoma state legislature even though the naysayers said it couldn't be done. When he sought to be Speaker of the House, the naysayers said he was too young and too conservative to win. But his colleagues chose him anyway, and he became the youngest Speaker in Oklahoma history!"
Shannon, who is 36, has attracted attention as Oklahoma's first African-American state House speaker.
Palin has already endorsed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.); Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R), who is running for governor of the Lone Star State; and tea party activist Katrina Pierson, who didn't manage to beat Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) in last week's primary.
Though she's not running for elected office this year, Palin still holds significant sway among conservative activists. She delivered the final speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 8.
In a separate Facebook post Wednesday, Palin wrote that she'll endorse more candidates "in coming days."
Oklahoma's primary is scheduled for June 24.