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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.

Elected governor of Alaska in November 2006, Palin became 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 second woman to run as a vice-presidential candidate for a major American policial party, after Geraldine Ferrero in 1984, and the first woman to do so for the Republican party. 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 commercial fishing family business.

Mayor of Wasilla

Sarah Palin served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, which is a city of 7,025 located 47 kilometers (29 mi) north of the port of Anchorage. She served as mayor from 1996 to 2002.

Palin had begun her political career in 1992, when she won a three-year term on the Wasilla city council, supporting a controversial new sales tax and advocating "a safer, more progressive Wasilla." She was re-elected to a second three-year term on the city council 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. She stated that "many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature." She further added that censorship "was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy" and that she did not have a specific list of books in mind. 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 put a measure on the ballot to increase sales tax to finance the construction of a municipal sports center. Though the center was built on time and under budget, the total cost escalated due to an eminent domain lawsuit growing out of early planning errors. 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.

Between mayor and governor

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.

In 2007 Palin obtained a passport and traveled for the first time outside of North America to Kuwait and Germany to visit with members of the Alaska National Guard.

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."

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.

Budget, spending, and the "Bridge to Nowhere"

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; although with no buyer found on eBay, it was later sold for $2.1 million through a private brokerage firm.

In Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, she supported the building of the proposed Gravina Island Bridge, which had been nicknamed the "Bridge to Nowhere" because the island had only 50 residents.

Despite the support of Alaska's congressional delegation, particularly Representative Don Young and Senator Ted Stevens, the project encountered fierce opposition outside of Alaska as a symbol of pork barrel spending. In 2005, Congress stripped the specific earmark allocation of federal funds for the two bridges, without changing the amount of money allocated for use by Alaska. As a result, the money previously earmarked for this and another controversial project, the Knik Arm Bridge, a total of $442 million, was to be made available for transportation projects generally.

The next year, Palin ran for Governor on a "build-the-bridge" platform, arguing that it was essential for local prosperity. In October 2006, she stated that she favored building the bridges "sooner rather than later. The window is now - while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."

Despite her hopes that the powerful Stevens and Young could produce federal funding for the project, however, they were unable to do so. With no federal money available, Palin removed the state's portion of the cost from her proposed budget. She stated: "Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island." Her switch allowed the state to use the federal money for other transportation projects. Palin did, however, continue construction of an access road on Gravina Island, which would have linked to the bridge but now goes only to an empty beach; federal money for the access road, unlike the bridge money, would otherwise have been returned to the federal government.

Public Safety Commissioner dismissal

On July 11, 2008, Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, citing performance-related issues, such as not being a team player on budgeting 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 and had been accused of threatening Palin's father. Monegan further alleged that contacts made by Palin herself, her staff, and her family had constituted inappropriate pressure to fire Wooten. Palin denied pressuring Monegan, and reiterated that she did not fire Monegan because of Wooten, who is still employed as a state trooper.

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 August 13, Palin changed her position after an internal investigation, acknowledging that her staff had contacted Monegan or his staff regarding Wooten, but stating that she had only known about some of the contacts, that many of those contacts were appropriate, and that she had not fired Monegan because of Wooten. 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.

Palin's choice to replace Monegan, Charles M. Kopp, chief of the Kenai police department, was named to 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 harrassment in his previous position.

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.

Palin is scheduled to participate in a vice-presidential debate with Joe Biden on October 2, 2008. The election is set for November 4.

Reception

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 generated mixed opinions among potential voters. John Zogby found that the effects of Palin's selection had helped the McCain ticket since "She has high favorability numbers, and has unified the Republican Party." Polls showed that 54% (Zogby) 58%(Rasmussen) like Palin while Joe Biden was viewed favourable by 49%(Zogby) and 48%(Rasmussen).

Since Palin was largely unknown prior to the pick, her personal life, positions and policies became the focus of "intense media attention" and "scrutiny" following her selection. Some Republicans said that Palin was subjected to unreasonable media coverage, a sentiment referenced by Palin in her acceptance speech. Polls conducted immediately after the speech found that Palin was viewed favorably by a majority of voters, and that slightly more than half of Americans believed that the press was "trying to hurt" Palin with negative coverage,.

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 has described the Republican Party platform as "the right agenda for America," adding "individual freedom and independence is extremely important to me and that's why I'm a Republican."

Palin is a social conservative. She has called herself as "pro-life as any candidate can be", would permit abortion only in cases where the mother's life is in danger, and supports mandatory parental consent for abortions. Palin is supportive of contraception but she backs abstinence-only education and is against "explicit sex-ed programs" in schools. She opposes same-sex marriage and supported a non-binding referendum for an Alaskan constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples. She supports capital punishment. Palin supports allowing the teaching of both creationism and evolution in public schools, but not to the extent of requiring the teaching of creation-based alternatives.

Palin strongly supports an individual’s right to bear arms, including handguns. She also supports gun safety education for youth.

As governor of Alaska, Palin pushed to reduce state government spending, including cutting $1.6 billion from the Alaskan construction budget. Nonetheless, she has been in favor of increased federal funding of construction programs for her state.

Palin has promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). She has opposed federal listing of the polar bear as an endangered species warning that it would adversely affect energy development in Alaska. Palin does not believe that global warming is human-caused.

Palin supports the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq.

Personal life

Palin, a self-described "hockey mom", is a mother of five. She enjoys hunting, ice fishing and riding snowmobiles.

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. 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 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. Palin described herself as being "getting saved" at the Wasilla Assembly of God. 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 called 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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6. "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". Alaskan State Govt. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
7. (Johnson 2008, pp. 15-17)
8. (Johnson 2008, pp. 27-31)
9. "McCain surprises with Palin pick". MarketWatch. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
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)
13. Stefanie Balogh (2008). "Is Sarah Palin a real vice-president contender?". Courier Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
14. Lerer, Lisa (2008-08-29). "Palin: She Inhaled". The Crypt. CBS News. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
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16. Boone, Rebecca (2008-08-29). "McCain's veep pick, Palin, has ties to Idaho". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
17. "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)
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34. ^ 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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38. The Associated Press (2008-08-29). "Timeline of Gov. Palin's life and career". Orlando Sentinel.
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54. "Hays Research home page".
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58. ^ "State of the State Address Jan 17, 2007". 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
59. McAllister, Bill (December 14, 2006). "Palin cancels contracts for pioneer road to Juneau". ktuu.com. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
60. "No bidders on eBay; sold it offline". PolitiFact.com. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
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63. Two Bridges to Nowhere Tumble Down in Congress
64. "'Bridge to nowhere' abandoned". CNN. 2007-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
65. Hulse, Carl (November 17, 2005), "Two 'Bridges to Nowhere' Tumble Down in Congress", The New York Times{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
66. "Palin's maverick trail goes from city hall to gov's mansion". CNN. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
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71. Simon, Matthew (July 19, 2008). "Monegan says Palin administration and first gentleman used governor's office to pressure firing first family's former brother-in-law". KTVA. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
72. "Resources from Anchorage Daily News regarding the Monegan affair". Retrieved 2008-09-05.
73. Hopkins, Kyle (2008-07-12). "Governor offered Monegan a different job". Anchorage Daily News. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
74. ^ Grimaldi, James V. (2008-08-31). "Long-Standing Feud in Alaska Embroils Palin". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-31. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) "Palin has said she did not pressure Monegan or fire him for not taking action against her former brother-in-law."
75. Hollan, Megan (2008-07-19). "Monegan says he was pressured to fire cop". Anchorage Daily News. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 2008-07-22. Monegan said he still isn't sure why he was fired but thought that Wooten could be part of it.
76. Demer, Lisa (2008-07-19). "Is Wooten a good trooper?". Anchorage Daily News. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
77. Loy, Wesley (2008-07-29). "Hired help will probe Monegan dismissal". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
78. Sean Cockerham (2008-08-14). "Alaska's governor admits her staff tried to have trooper fired". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
79. "Palin seeks review of Monegan firing case: Governor makes ethics complaint against herself to force action". Anchorage Daily News. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
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81. Posted by Alaska_Politics. "adn.com | Alaska Politics : Palin spokeswoman: Kopp never told governor about reprimand (Updated with comments from lawmakers)". Community.adn.com. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
82. "YouTube - Safety Department Commissioner Chuck Kopp resigns". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
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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
• Anchorage 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)
• Sliming Palin: False Internet claims debunked by FactCheck.Org

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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