JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King predicted Tuesday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will seek the Republican presidential nomination and has a good chance of winning Iowa's leadoff caucuses.

"I think we'll see her in Iowa," King said. "There are a good number of people who could win the Iowa caucuses and I would put her in the top five or so who would be in a good position to do so."

King represents an overwhelmingly Republican district in western Iowa that is key to any GOP candidate's bid in the caucuses. Although he initially thought Palin had ended her political career when she resigned as governor last summer, King said she's recovered and is in a stronger position than before.

"I thought she had made a career decision that would be hard to bounce back from," King said. "It looks like she's bounced back from it and gone from there."

Palin has been to the state only once since the last presidential election, when she was Republican John McCain's running mate. She held a book-signing event earlier this month in Sioux City where access was tightly controlled.