Sarah Palin announced Friday she would run for Alaska's only congressional seat, following the death of Republican Rep. Don Young, and made the campaign official by filing with the Federal Election Commission.

Driving the news: The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican nominee for vice president floated a possible run for Congress in a Newsmax interview last month and will join a crowded field of 40 candidates running for the vacant seat, the New York Times notes.

What she's saying: "Public service is a calling, and I would be honored to represent the men and women of Alaska in Congress, just as Rep. Young did for 49 years," Palin wrote in a statement on Facebook. "I realize that I have very big shoes to fill, and I plan to honor Rep. Young’s legacy by offering myself up in the name of service to the state he loved and fought for, because I share that passion for Alaska and the United States of America."

• "America is at a tipping point. As I’ve watched the far left destroy the country, I knew I had to step up and join the fight," she said.

Of note: Palin has said she will seek a new trial in a case against the New York Times after a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed a landmark defamation suit Palin had brought against the paper.