Alaskans are wary of Palin’s return.

When Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) returns to Alaska today, she faces a far different political landscape than when she was thrust onto the national stage in August. Her approval among Alaskans has plummeted 12 points, and she returns to face mounting scandals including Troopergate and the dispute over her family’s travel expenses that she charged to the state. The Anchorage Daily News wonders, “Can Sarah Palin go home again?“:

In the 68 days since Alaska’s governor began her run for vice president, things have changed on the home front. Some of her former allies are fuming, and former enemies are lying in wait. Public perceptions of the governor have also changed. Has the governor changed as well?

Seeming to signal that she intends to return to the national stage in the future, Palin told Wasilla supporters last night, “I am neither bitter nor vanquished, but very confident in the knowledge that there will be another day.”