PR Consultant Helped Palin Grab Spotlight

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks in Wisconsin. Her official calendar traces Palin's swift rise to national prominence this year. (By Joshua Lott -- Getty Images)

Some lawmakers complained about the governor's preoccupation with media coverage, blaming it in part for her absence at the Capitol.

There also was some resentment that Palin presented herself as the driving force behind the pipeline. "This didn't happen because of one person," said state Rep. Beth Kerttula, a Democrat and House minority leader. "We saw changes because many, many people wanted them and worked for them." The legislature ratified the TransCanada proposal in August.

Larry Persily, an associate director in Alaska's Washington office until June and a former Anchorage Daily News opinion page editor, said the governor initially might not have known how to reach out to national media, but she was well versed in doing interviews from her experience with Alaska news outlets. By the time there was some national buzz on her, he said, she was ready, and an easy sell to reporters.

"The national media loves it when we make the news, because we are so weird out there" in Alaska, Persily said. "Editors across the nation started saying, 'Let's go find out who this woman is.' "

Gibson, the oil and gas team member, said the contract with Brier ended when McCain picked Palin.

"We'd achieved our objective with getting the national attention," Gibson said. "There was no need anymore to use state money to achieve that. She has the platform. She can deliver the message. She doesn't have a problem reaching out to the media."

Research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.