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Sarah Palin
11th Governor of Alaska
Incumbent
Assumed office December 4, 2006
Lieutenant	Sean Parnell
Preceded by	Frank Murkowski
Chairperson, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
In office 2003–2004
Preceded by	Camille Oechsli Taylor
Succeeded by	John K. Norman
Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska
In office 1996–2002
Preceded by	John Stein
Succeeded by	Dianne M. Keller
City Council Member, Wasilla, Alaska
In office 1992–1996
Personal details
Born	(1964-02-11) February 11, 1964 (age 60) Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1982 - Present)
Spouse	Todd Palin (since 1988)
Children	Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig
Residence(s)	Wasilla, Alaska
Alma mater	University of Idaho
Profession	Politician, Journalist
Signature

Sarah Louise Heath Palin (Template:Pron-en; born February 11, 1964) is the governor of Alaska and the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election.

Palin served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska city council from 1992 to 1996, then won two terms as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. After an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor of Alaska in 2002, she chaired and served as Ethics Supervisor the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004.

In November 2006, Palin was elected the governor of Alaska, becoming the first woman and youngest person to hold the office. She defeated incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, garnering 48.3% of the vote to 40.9% for Knowles.

On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate. She was nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Palin is the first woman to run on the Republican party presidential ticket and if elected she will be the first female Vice President of the United States.

Early life and education

Palin was born Sarah Louise Heath in Sandpoint, Idaho, the third of four children of Sarah Heath (née Sheeran), a school secretary, and Charles R. Heath, a science teacher and track coach. Her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant. As a child, she would sometimes go moose hunting with her father before school, and the family regularly ran 5km and 10km races.

Palin attended Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska, where she was the head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at the school, and the point guard and captain of the school's basketball team. She helped the team win the Alaska small-school basketball championship in 1982, hitting a critical free throw in the last seconds of the game, despite having an ankle stress fracture. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play, and was the leader of the team prayer before games.

In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla Pageant, then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award. Palin admits to smoking marijuana as a youth, during the time Alaska had decriminalized possession, though she says she did not enjoy it.

Palin spent her first college semester at Hawaii Pacific College, transferring in 1983 to North Idaho College and then to the University of Idaho. She attended Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska for one term, returning to the University of Idaho to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism, graduating in 1987.

In 1988, she worked as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska. She also helped in her husband’s family commercial fishing business.

Early political career

Wasilla

Wasilla is a city of 7,025 that is 47 km (29 miles) north of the port of Anchorage. Palin began her political career in 1992, when she ran for a three-year term on the Wasilla city council, supporting a controversial new sales tax and advocating "a safer, more progressive Wasilla." She won, and was re-elected to a second three-year term in 1995.

In 1996, Palin ran against and defeated incumbent mayor John Stein, running on a platform of "fresh ideas and energy". In the campaign, she vowed to replace "stale leadership" and criticized Stein for wasteful spending and high taxes. She also introduced issues such as abortion, religion, gun rights, and term limits to the race. Although the mayoral election was non-partisan, the state Republican party ran advertisements on her behalf.

Shortly after taking office in October 1996, Palin began to make leadership changes. She eliminated the position of museum director and asked for updated resumes and resignation letters from Wasilla police chief Irl Stambaugh, public works director Jack Felton, finance director Duane Dvorak, and librarian Mary Ellen Emmons. Palin stated this request was to find out who supported her. She temporarily required department heads to get her approval before talking to reporters, stating they first needed to become better acquainted with her policies. She hired a new city administrator and reduced her own salary from $68,000 to $64,000.

According to Emmons, she and Palin twice discussed the question of library censorship—first in early October then in detail on October 28. Emmons stated Palin asked her if she would object to censorship, and Emmons replied "it would not be just me ... the American Civil Liberties Union would get involved, too." Palin raised the possibility of people circling the library in protest, to which Emmons replied "it would definitely be a problem the ACLU would take on then." In early December, Palin spoke publicly about the issue, using it as an example of a discussion she'd had with her department heads. Palin said, "many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature," adding that censorship "was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy." No books were removed from the library.

Palin gave signed letters to Emmons and Stambaugh on January 30, 1997 that stated: "I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment..." Palin rescinded the firing of Emmons the next day after meeting with her and after what the Anchorage Daily News called "a wave of public support for Emmons." Palin stated that her concerns had been alleviated when Emmons agreed to support Palin's plan to merge the town's library and museum operations. Palin also spoke with Stambaugh at least three times about the matter, but ultimately he was fired as planned. Stambaugh filed a lawsuit which was later dismissed by a court that found the mayor had the right to fire city employees for nearly any reason, including a political one.

As mayor of Wasilla, Palin was in charge of the city Police Department, consisting of 25 officers, and Public Works. She was praised for cutting property taxes by 40% while improving roads and sewers and strengthening the Police Department. She also reduced spending on the town museum and opposed a bigger library. During her first term, the state Republican Party began grooming her for higher office.

Palin ran for re-election against Stein in 1999 and was returned to office by a margin of 909 to 292 votes. Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

During her second term as mayor, Palin championed the construction of a municipal sports center and put a measure for a temporary sales tax increase (from 2 to 2.5 percent) on the ballot in order to finance it. Though the center was built on time and under budget, the total cost escalated after she left office due to an eminent domain lawsuit. She also hired the Anchorage-based lobbying firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh to lobby for earmarks for Wasilla. The effort was led by Steven Silver, a former chief of staff for Senator Ted Stevens, and it secured nearly $27 million in earmarked funds. The earmarks included $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project linking Wasilla and the ski resort community of Girdwood. Some of the earmarks were criticized by Senator McCain.

In 2002, term limits prevented Palin from running for a third term as mayor. Her stepmother-in-law, Faye Palin, ran for the office but lost the election to Dianne Keller after Sarah Palin endorsed Keller.

Activities from 2002 to 2005

In 2002, Palin made an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor. She came in second to Loren Leman in a five-way race in the Republican primary.

After Frank Murkowski resigned from his long-held U.S. Senate seat in mid-term to become governor, he considered appointing Palin to replace him in the Senate. He instead chose his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, who was then an Alaska state representative.

Governor Murkowski appointed Palin to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, where she chaired the Commission from 2003 to 2004, and also served as Ethics Supervisor. Palin resigned in January 2004 in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Republican members.

After resigning, Palin filed formal complaints against the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes. She accused Ruedrich, one of her fellow commissioners, of doing work for the party on public time and working closely with a company he was supposed to be regulating. Ruedrich and Renkes both resigned and Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.

From 2003 to June 2005, Palin served as one of three directors of "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in Alaska.

Governor of Alaska

In 2006, running on a clean-government platform, Palin defeated Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Her running mate was State Senator Sean Parnell. Senator Stevens made a last-moment endorsement and filmed a TV commercial together with Palin for the gubernatorial campaign.

In August, she declared that education, public safety, and transportation would be the three cornerstones of her administration. Despite spending less than her Democratic opponent, she won the gubernatorial election in November, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles 48.3% to 40.9%.

Palin became Alaska's first female governor and, at 42, the youngest in Alaskan history. She is the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood and the first governor not inaugurated in Juneau; she chose to have the ceremony in Fairbanks instead. She took office on December 4, 2006, and has maintained a high approval rating throughout her term.

She sometimes broke with the state Republican establishment. For example, she endorsed Parnell's bid to unseat the state's longtime at-large U.S. Representative, Don Young. Palin also publicly challenged Senator Ted Stevens to come clean about the ongoing federal investigation into his financial dealings. Shortly before his July 2008 indictment, she held a joint news conference with Stevens, described by The Washington Post as being "to make clear she had not abandoned him politically."

Energy and environment

Palin has promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), where such development has been the subject of a national debate. She also helped pass a tax increase on oil company profits. Palin has followed through on plans to create a new sub-cabinet group of advisers to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Alaska. When asked about climate change after becoming Senator McCain's presumptive running mate, she stated that it would "affect Alaska more than any other state", but she added, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made."

Shortly after taking office, Palin rescinded 35 appointments made by Murkowski in the last hours of his administration, including that of his former chief of staff James "Jim" Clark to the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority.

In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope. This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract to a coalition including BP (her husband's former employer). Only one legislator, Representative Ralph Samuels, voted against the measure, and in June, Palin signed it into law. On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corporation, was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant. In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority to award TransCanada Pipelines $500 million in seed money and a license to build and operate the $26-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Lower 48 through Canada.

In response to high oil and gas prices, and the resulting state government budget surplus, Palin proposed giving Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit cards. She also proposed providing grants to electrical utilities so that they would reduce customers' rates. She subsequently dropped the debit card proposal, and in its place she proposed to send each Alaskan $1,200 from the windfall surplus resulting from high oil prices.

In 2007, Palin supported the Alaska Department of Fish and Game policy allowing Alaska state biologists to hunt wolves from helicopters as part of a predator control program intended to increase moose populations. The program was criticized by Defenders of Wildlife and predator control opponents, and prompted California State Representative George Miller to introduce a federal bill (H.R. 3663) seeking to make the practice illegal. In March 2008, a federal judge in Alaska upheld the practice of hunting wolves from the air, though limited its extent. On August 26, 2008, Alaskans voted against ending the state's predator control program.

On January 5, 2008, the New York Times published an op-ed by Palin, presenting her view that the polar bear should not be placed on the endangered species list. In May 2008, Palin objected to the decision of Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican United States Secretary of the Interior, to list polar bears federally as an endangered species, saying this move was premature and was not the appropriate management tool for their welfare; the State of Alaska filed a lawsuit to stop the listing amid fears that it would hurt oil and gas development in the bears' habitat off Alaska's northern and northwestern coasts.

Palin also opposed, on economic grounds, a proposal to list beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet under the Endangered Species Act.

Budget

Shortly after becoming governor, Palin canceled a contract for the construction of an 11-mile (18 km) gravel road outside Juneau to a mine. This reversed a decision made in the closing days of the Murkowski administration. She also followed through on a campaign promise to sell the Westwind II jet purchased (on a state government credit account, against the wishes of the Legislature) by the Murkowski administration for $2.7 million in 2005. In August 2007 the jet was listed on eBay, though with no buyer found, it was later sold for $2.1 million through a private brokerage firm.

In June 2007, Palin signed into law a $6.6 billion operating budget—the largest in Alaska's history. At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The $237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction budget to nearly $1.6 billion.

In 2007, the Alaska Creamery Board recommended closing Matanuska Maid Dairy, an unprofitable state-owned business. Palin objected, citing concern for dairy farmers and a recent infusion of $600,000 in state money. Palin subsequently replaced the entire membership of the Board of Agriculture and Conservation. The new board reversed the decision to close the dairy. Later in 2007, the unprofitable business was put up for sale. No offers met the minimum bid of $3.35 million, and the dairy was closed. In August 2008, it was purchased for $1.5 million, the new minimum bid.

"Bridge to Nowhere"

In Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, she supported the building of a Gravina Island Bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island (population 50), better known outside the state as the "Bridge to Nowhere." Palin ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform, arguing that it was essential for local prosperity. As Palin said in August 2006, according to the Ketchikan (Alaska) Daily News:

“We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge, and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that’s so negative.”

After Palin was elected governor, the newly-christened Bridge to Nowhere became a symbol for wildly excessive and wasteful federal spending nationwide. Bowing to criticism, Congress replaced the $223 million earmark for the bridge with a $223 million infrastructure grant to Alaska to use at its discretion. One month after John McCain attacked the bridge, Palin switched her position too. According to Newsweek:

In an astonishing pivot, she began using the rhetoric of the projects' opponents. Now she talks as if she always opposed the funding. She used one of her stock lines in her nomination acceptance speech: "I told the Congress, 'Thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

(Ketchikan's Mayor Bob Weinstein criticized Palin for using the very term 'Bridge to Nowhere' in her vice-presidential nomination acceptance speech because Palin had termed that name for the bridge "insulting" during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign, when she campaigned on her original "build the bridge" platform.)

According to Reuters, Palin's decision to cancel the bridge "earn her admirers from earmark critics and budget hawks from around the nation. The move also thrust her into the spotlight as a reform-minded newcomer." In an article titled, "Bridge leads McCain to running mate Palin", the Associated Press said canceling the bridge was "the first identifiable link connecting Palin and McCain," soon followed by "whispers of Palin being an ideal GOP running mate."

Although she canceled the bridge, Palin continued to spend $25 million from the $223 million earmark to build the road on Gravina Island to an empty beach where the bridge would have gone. State officials said "they were going ahead with the $25 million road because the money would otherwise have to be returned to the federal government." The cancellation of the bridge did not lead Palin to return any of the remaining $197 million in the earmark to the Federal Government. Palin's campaign coordinator in Ketchikan, Republican Mike Elerding, says, "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money." According to Palin’s communications director Bill McAlister, the bridge "isn’t necessarily dead"; it may still be built with "a less costly design.” Palin changed her mind on the bridge, he said, when “she saw that Alaska was being perceived as taking from the country and not giving, and that impression bothered her and she wants to change it. … I think that Sarah Palin is someone who has the courage to re-evaluate situations as they developed.”

Public Safety Commissioner dismissal

On July 11, 2008, Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, citing performance-related issues. She then offered him an alternative position as executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he turned down. Monegan alleged that his dismissal was retaliation for his failure to fire Palin’s former brother-in-law, Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in a child custody battle with Palin’s sister, Molly McCann. He further alleged that contacts made by Palin herself, her staff, and her family had constituted inappropriate pressure to fire Wooten. Though acknowledging that her staff had contacted Monegan or his staff regarding Wooten, Palin stated that most of those calls were made without her knowledge, and reiterated that she did not fire Monegan because of Wooten.

Palin's choice to replace Monegan, Charles M. Kopp, chief of the Kenai police department, took the position on July 11, 2008. He resigned on July 25 after it was revealed that he had received a letter of reprimand for sexual harassment in his previous position. On August 1, the Alaska Legislature hired an independent investigator to review the situation. The investigation is scheduled to be completed in October 2008. On September 1, Palin's lawyer asked the state Legislature to drop its investigation, saying that by state law, the governor-appointed state Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues. Palin also asked that the Board review the matter as an ethics complaint.

2008 Vice-presidential campaign

Template:Future election candidate

On August 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio, Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate. Palin's selection surprised many people because speculation centered on others, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.

McCain was reportedly concerned about reclaiming his image as a "maverick Republican" and wanted someone to shake up the ticket. With this in mind, he called Palin on August 24 to discuss the possibility of having her join him on the ticket. Palin had been under consideration since a private meeting with McCain in a February National Governors Association meeting. Although this was the first time the two had met, Palin made a favorable impression on McCain. On August 27, Palin visited McCain's vacation home near Sedona, Arizona, where she was offered the position of vice-presidential candidate. Palin was the only prospective running mate who had a face-to-face interview with McCain to discuss joining the ticket.

Palin is the second woman to run on a major U.S. party ticket. The first was Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 1984, who ran with former vice-president Walter Mondale. On September 3, 2008, Palin delivered a 40 minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that was watched by more than 40 million viewers and was well-received by the crowd.

Reaction

After announcing Palin as the presumptive vice-presidential nominee, the McCain campaign received US$7 million in contributions in a single day. In the days following the decision, the choice of Palin had mixed results, with undecided women that supported Palin's pro-life views moving towards McCain and the independents McCain was trying to attract being pushed to Obama due to Palin's views on abortion, the Iraq War, and the environment being the opposite of theirs. According to pollster John Zogby the effects of Palin's selection were helping the McCain ticket since "She has high favorability numbers, and has unified the Republican Party.", Palin was also a draw with Catholic voters. The poll found that 54% favour Palin and 42% find her unfavourable, a 12% difference, while Joe Biden was viewed favourable by 49% to 47% unfavourable.

Palin's positions and policies became the focus of "intense media attention" and "scrutiny" following her selection. Expectations from her speech at the Republican National Convention was heavily covered by the media. Some Republicans argued that Palin was subjected to unreasonable media coverage, and a Rasmussen survey showed that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the press was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech. A poll taken just after the speech found that Palin was then slightly more popular than either Barack Obama or John McCain with 58% favourabilty rating.

Palin also became a "ubiquitous presence on newsstands," appearing on the cover of both Newsweek and Time. The appearance on the cover of Time was particularly notable as Jay Carney, the news magazine's Washington bureau chief has been vocally critical on what he has said is a lack of media access to Palin, concerns which were dismissed by the McCain campaign.

Political positions

Palin is a social conservative: she opposes abortion except when the life of the mother would otherwise be imperiled, and is a member of Feminists for Life; she backs capital punishment,, opposes same-sex marriage, and favors teaching about creationism alongside evolution in public schools. She is also a member of the National Rifle Association and is a supporter of the right to keep and bear arms.

Palin says she believes in "individual freedom and independence", and she is known in Alaska for her opposition to what she views as excessive government spending and corruption. She has supported development of oil and natural gas production in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Personal life

Palin, a self-described "hockey mom", is a mother of five. Among her common activities are hunting, ice fishing and riding snowmobiles. After becoming governor, Palin obtained her passport and traveled to Kuwait and Germany in 2007 to visit with members of the Alaska National Guard; she has also made multiple trips to Canada. She has completed a marathon in just under 4 hours.

Sarah Palin eloped with her high-school boyfriend, Todd Palin, on August 29, 1988, when she was 24 years old. Todd works for BP as an oil-field production operator and owns a commercial fishing business. The family lives in Wasilla.

The couple have five children: sons Track (b. 1989) and Trig (b. 2008), and daughters Bristol (b. 1990), Willow (b. 1995), and Piper (b. 2001). Track Palin enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 11, 2007, subsequently joining an infantry brigade. He is set to be deployed to Iraq in September 2008. Palin's youngest child, Trig, has Down syndrome, diagnosed prenatally.

Palin announced on September 1, 2008, that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant and intended to keep the baby and marry the father of her child, Levi Johnston, 18. The McCain-Palin campaign stated that John McCain was aware of her daughter's pregnancy, but that it did not affect his choice. Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama and his campaign staff declared the subject of candidates' families "off limits" in the coming campaign.

Palin was originally baptized as a Roman Catholic, but her parents switched to the Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church, where she was rebaptized at age 12 or 13, and attended under pastor Ed Kalnins until 2002. When she is in Juneau, she attends Juneau Christian Center, another Assemblies of God church. Her current home church in Wasilla is The Wasilla Bible Church, an independent congregation. Palin has described herself as a "Bible-believing Christian" who attends a non-denominational church. The National Catholic Reporter described her as a "post-denominational" Christian.

Electoral history

Notes

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4. ^ Newton-Small, Jay (2008-08-29). "TIME's interview with Sarah Palin". Time. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-08-30. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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7. (Johnson 2008, pp. 15-17)
8. (Johnson 2008, pp. 27-31)
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10. Peterson, Deb. "Palin was a high school star, says schoolmate," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 30 Aug 2008. Available online. Archived 01 Sept 2008.
11. "Gov. Sarah Palin Was Second Choice in '84 Beauty Contest". US Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
12. (Johnson 2008, p. 21)
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15. Boone, Rebecca (2008-08-29). "McCain's veep pick, Palin, has ties to Idaho". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
16. "Video: Sarah Palin:Former TV Sports Reporter, Us magazine website, August 31, 2008". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
17. "Gov. Sarah Palin (R)". Almanac of American Politics 2008. National Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
18. "City of Wasilla: Wasilla Facts". Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
19. ^ Kizzia, Tom (2006-10-23). "'Fresh face' launched Palin: Wasilla mayor was groomed from an early political age". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
20. (Johnson 2008, p. 45)
21. ^ Yardley, William (2008-09-02). "Palin's Start in Alaska: Not Politics as Usual". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-02. Cite error: The named reference "nytimes090208" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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29. (Johnson 2008, p. 65)
30. "2006 Campaign Tip Sheets: Alaska Governor". National Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
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33. ^ Phillips, Michael M. (2008-09-06). "Palin's Hockey Rink Leads To Legal Trouble in Town She Led". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
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35. Krane, Paul (2008-09-02). "Palin's Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
36. Hamburger, Tom (2008-09-03). "McCain had criticized earmarks from Palin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
37. The Associated Press (2008-08-29). "Timeline of Gov. Palin's life and career". Orlando Sentinel.
38. "2002 Election Results".
39. "STATE OF ALASKA PRIMARY ELECTION - AUGUST 27, 2002 OFFICIAL RESULTS". Alaska Division of Elections. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
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47. (Johnson 2008, p. 81)
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References

• Johnson, Kaylene (2008). Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down. Epicenter Press. ISBN 978-0979047084.

External links

• Official Campaign Website for McCain/Palin 2008
• Alaska Office of Governor Sarah Palin
• Alaska Daily News ongoing coverage of Sarah Palin
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Palin 2006 campaign contributions from Follow the Money
• Palin/Parnell 2006 campaign contributions from Follow the Money
• News and commentary from The New York Times
• First chapter of biography, Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down by Kaylene Johnson
• Video: Meet Sarah Palin from NOW on PBS (requires Flash Player and broadband connection to view video)

v t e Governors of Alaska
District (1884–1912)	Kinkead Swineford Knapp Sheakley Brady Hoggatt Clark
Territorial (1912–1959)	Clark Strong Riggs Bone Parks Troy Gruening Heintzleman Hendrickson (acting) Stepovich Hendrickson (acting)
State (since 1959)	Egan Hickel Miller Egan Hammond Sheffield Cowper Hickel Knowles Murkowski Palin Parnell Walker Dunleavy

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