Sarah Palin Steps Down

Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, announed Friday she will not pursue a second term, according to CNN. 

Palin live streamed a news conference in Wasilla from her home. She announced she would not be running for another term, and in addition would step down as governor on July 26. 

"She thinks she has accomplished goals she has set forward," said CNN's Republican source. "She sees what a positive influence she has had on people's lives from traveling the country in the last year."

The source told CNN it was a “calculation” she made that “it was time to move on.” Palin's “book deal and other issues” was “causing a lot of friction up” in Alaska, and added that he feels Palin is “mapping out a path to 2012.”

Palin was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, which has put her in a position as a frontrunner for the 2012 GOP nomination. Speculation of her seriously considering a run for the White House are already circulating due to her decision to forgo seeking another term as Alaska's governor.