Palin's former pageant rival runs for office

The woman who beat Sarah Palin for the 1984 title of Miss Alaska is running for elected office.

Maryline Blackburn is expected to announce Thursday that she will challenge GOP state Rep. Rich Golick for Georgia's 34th district, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Blackburn was the first African-American contestant to represent Alaska in the 1984 Miss America pageant, but she has been living in Smyrna, Ga. for the past two decades. Sarah Palin finished in 2nd place behind Blackburn.

And despite their shared pageant past, Blackburn voted for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Palin.

People magazine also reports that Blackburn, a Grammy-nominated singer, performed at two inaugural parties in 2009, one hosted by rapper Ludacris, and the other by Dionne Warwick.