You can still call her "governor" after July 26

Like ex-senators and former presidents, ex-governors retain their honorific titles, so Sarah Palin will still be addressed as "Governor Palin" after she officially turns the reigns of her office over to Sean Parnell July 26. The 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate has never been much of a stickler for that kind of thing, though, as she signs "Sarah" to her non-official correspondence.

So what will she be doing after July 26?

Only one specific event has been announced so far that will have Gov. Palin's participation. According to the Simi Valley Republican Women Federation (SVWF), Sarah Palin will be at the Ronald Reagan Library as the guest of honor for their 50th Anniversary. That celebration is on the calendar for Saturday, August 8, at 5:30 PM. Tickets for non-members are $150. If you want to attend, the Club needs your reply with payment by July 20. There can be no more powerful symbolism to Republicans than Gov. Palin launching the national phase of her career of public service at Ronald Reagan's presidential library.

She will have a long national book tour to keep her busy next spring, and it will coincide with the 2010 mid-term campaign. Between the Reagan library and the book bus, the calendar will have to be filled out. Not that there is any shortage of demand for Gov. Palin to make appearances. Just after the November election there were 800 invitations sent to the GOP's 2008 vice presidential candidate asking for her presence at one event or another. That number has increased to what SarahPAC's Pam Pryor said back in April was "thousands of requests" for Palin appearances across the country. With the recent announcement of the governor's impending resignation, expect a surge in the number of invitations.

Governor Rick Perry told The Associated Press Wednesday that Gov. Palin is "committed to campaigning" in Texas for him as he seeks re-election. Perry said that he welcomes support of his fellow governor, who endorsed him in February. The Texas governor just last month was bragging on the endorsement, saying "If there's a bigger endorsement in the Republican universe, I don't know who it is than Sarah."

There will be other Republicans who will want Sarah Palin to campaign for them. RNC Chairman Michael Steele said Monday:

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to have Sarah Palin freed up now to engage across the country to help, you know, reorient the party and grow it. She said she now wants to be able to contribute in a different way, and as RNC chairman, I absolutely welcome it."

Beyond campaigning for them, many GOP hopefuls will also welcome an endorsement from Gov. Palin, not to mention a donation. Like most political junkies, they will no doubt be eager to hear how much money SarahPAC has raised when it makes its disclosure at the end of the month, coincidentally just days after her resignation is made official.

Update 1: Big Hollywood's Chris Stigall:

"So just how does a Republican candidate whip up a base of support when voters are angry or suspicious of their voting history? Enter the most powerful motivator and fundraiser in all of Republican politics today."

"Name a Republican today who could draw a larger crowd, and encourage more checks to be cut to a political candidate than Alaska’s governor."

[...]

"I'll bet my house that the weekend voice mailbox of Governor Palin was full of begging, pleading Republican Senate, House, and gubernatorial candidates humbly requesting this “erratic, irrelevant, lightweight” to come stand at their side during their upcoming picnic/potluck/town hall/ cocktail fundraiser."

Update 2: The Iowa GOP has been trying since January to persuade Sarah Palin to keynote the party's annual Reagan Day Dinner this fall. Iowa Republican Party executive director Jeff Boeyink told The Des Moines Register Wednesday:

"We’ve been pursuing Sarah Palin since January, and now that this has occurred, we are in the process of trying to find the right connections to get her here this fall."

- JP