RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Sarah Palin for VP

In addition to the more than $700,000 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee raised during the first half of the year, an additional $200,000 came in since her July 3 announcement she's stepping down.

According to Federal Election commission reports filed Monday, the former Republican vice presidential candidate brought in $732,867 in donations through June 30.

Another $200,000 came in after the deadline - all of it in the days following Palin's July 3 announcement she's stepping down as Alaska governor, said Meghan Stapleton, a spokeswoman for her campaign.

It's "above par," said Steve Gordon, a Washington-based Republican fundraising veteran who works mostly on Senate campaigns.

The big question, however, is what she does with the money, Gordon said. So far, Palin has donated to just two candidates: $5,000 to her 2008 running mate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and another $5,000 to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Palin has indicated she'll use her political fame help other candidates raise money, especially Republican gubernatorial candidates.

"You need a white-hot base to build your political activities from," Gordon said. "The question most significantly is, is she going to focus her political activities in the base, or is she going to try to expand outside of that? That's really the question. And if she does reach outside her safety area, how will that be received?"

For Palin, it's also promising the bulk of her donations came from donations smaller than $200, Gordon said. Of the $732,867 raised by the PAC, 57 percent came from donors who contributed less than $200. The FEC doesn't require those donations be itemized by individual donor. Just 28 of the 709 donors who did give more than $200 were from Alaska.