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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
Signature
Location of Wasilla, Alaska

Sarah Louise Heath Palin (Template:Pron-en; born February 11, 1964) is the governor of Alaska and the presumptive 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 the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004 while also serving as Ethics Supervisor of the commission.

On December 2006, Palin was sworn in as 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.

On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate. She is expected to be formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Palin would be the second woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket and the first Republican woman to do so.

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 5K and 10K 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 at the time. She earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because of her intense play and was the leader of team prayer before games.

In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest (playing the flute), then finished second in the Miss Alaska pageant, at which she won a college scholarship and the "Miss Congeniality" award. Palin attended Hawaii Pacific College — now known as Hawaii Pacific University — in Honolulu for a semester in 1982, majoring in Business Administration. She transferred in 1983 to North Idaho College. In 1987, Palin received a Bachelor of Science degree in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho, where she also minored in political science.

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

Early political career

Palin registered as a member of the Republican Party in May of 1982, and has remained a Republican. Members of the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) suggested that at some point she joined AIP, but have since backed off of that claim in an interview with Mother Jones.

Palin began her political career in 1992, when she ran for Wasilla city council, supporting a controversial new sales tax and advocating "a safer, more progressive Wasilla." She won and served two terms on the council from 1992 to 1996.

In 1996, Palin challenged and defeated incumbent John Stein for the non-partisan office of mayor, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes. In the campaign, she highlighted her pro-life stance, her church work, and her membership in the National Rifle Association.

In October 1996, she asked the police chief, librarian, public works director and finance director to resign, and she instituted a policy requiring department heads to get her approval before talking to reporters.The librarian kept the job, despite a dispute over inquiries by Palin on how to ban books that included language she deemed inappropriate. In January 1997, Palin fired the police chief, citing a failure to support her administration. Palin said in a letter that she wanted a change because she believed the two did not fully support her administration. The chief filed a lawsuit; but a court dismissed it, finding that Palin had the right to fire city employees for political reasons.

As mayor, Palin reduced the mayoral salary, reduced property taxes by 40 percent, and increased the city sales tax to pay for a new indoor ice rink and sports complex. At this time, state Republican leaders began grooming her for higher office. She ran for re-election against Stein in 1999 and was returned to office, getting over three times as many votes as he. Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

During her last four-year term as mayor, Palin hired the Anchorage-based lobbying firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh, to lobby for federal money for Wasilla. The effort was led by Steven Silver, a former chief of staff for Sen. 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, Stevens' hometown.

In 2002, term limits prevented Palin from running for a third term as mayor. Her mother-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, coming 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, but instead chose his daughter, Alaska state representative Lisa Murkowski.

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 then-Governor 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 percent to 40.9 percent.

Palin became Alaska's first woman 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 held in Fairbanks instead. She took office on December 4, 2006.

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. Congressman, 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 held "to make clear she had not abandoned him politically."

A poll published by Hays Research on July 28, 2008, showed Palin's approval rating in Alaska at 80 percent, while another Ivan Moore poll showed it at 76 percent, a four percent drop that pollsters attributed to the controversial firing of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. A subsequent Rasmussen Reports poll from July 31, 2008 showed 35 percent of Alaskans rated her performance as excellent, 29 percent good, 22 percent fair, and 14 percent poor.

Energy and environment

Palin has strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Alaskan 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. Clark later pleaded guilty to conspiring with a defunct oil-field-services company to channel money into Frank Murkowski's re-election campaign.

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 Corp., 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 Alaskans $1,200 directly, paid for from the windfall surplus the state is getting because of the high oil prices.

In May 2008, Palin objected to the decision of Dirk Kempthorne, the Republican United States Secretary of the Interior, to list polar bears as an endangered species. 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. She said the move to list the bears was premature and was not the appropriate management tool for their welfare.

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 sold on eBay for $2.1 million.

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, the Anchorage plant was purchased for $1.5 million, the new minimum bid. The purchaser plans to convert it into heated storage units.

Bridge to Nowhere

In 2006, Ketchikan's Gravina Island Bridge, known outside the state as the "Bridge to Nowhere", became an issue in the gubernatorial campaign. Palin initially expressed support for the bridge and ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform. After the bridge became a political issue Congress replaced the earmark for the bridge with an infrastructure grant to Alaska to use at its discretion; Palin's subsequent policy was to continue construction on the road originally intended to link to the bridge while exploring less-expensive transportation between Ketchikan and Gravina Island.

Palin made national news when she stopped work on the bridge. Reuters said the move was responsible for "earning 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".

In 2008, when introduced as McCain's running mate, Palin told the crowd, "I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere" — a line that garnered big applause but upset political leaders in Ketchikan. Palin's campaign coordinator in the city, Republican Mike Elerding, remarked, "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money." Democratic Mayor Bob Weinstein also criticized Palin for "using the very term 'bridge to nowhere' that she said was insulting."

Public Safety Commissioner dismissal

On July 11, 2008 Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, citing performance-related issues. She 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. Palin had raised with Monegan the family's charges of misconduct against Wooten, such as a death threat against Palin's father. In response, Monegan told Palin that Wooten had been officially reprimanded and disciplined in 2006 for these matters and that the subject could not be reopened.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

After Palin fired Monegan, a dispute arose over whether contacts made by Palin herself, Palin's staff and family constituted inappropriate pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten. Initially, Palin denied that there had been any pressure on Monegan to fire Wooten, either from her or from anyone else in her administration. Then, after she had her Attorney General's office conduct an internal investigation, Palin stated that her staff had contacted Monegan or his staff about two dozen times regarding Wooten, including many contacts from her chief of staff, and Palin also stated that most of those calls were made without her knowledge. Monegan has alleged that his dismissal was connected to his failure to fire Wooten, which Palin denies.

The Alaska Legislature hired an independent investigator to review "the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan, and potential abuses of power and/or improper actions by members of the executive branch". Palin subsequently hired a private attorney to defend her and staff members. The investigation is scheduled to be completed in October 2008.

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 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 U.S. woman to run on a major party ticket, after Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee of former vice-president Walter Mondale in 1984. Several revelations about Palin immediately after she joined the ticket called into question how well she was vetted-- among them her alleged ties to the Alaskan Independence Party and the controversy over Walt Monegan's ouster.

Members of the McCain campaign, such as spokesman Tucker Bounds, have pointed to Palin's role as as Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard as an example of foreign policy experience. Major General Craig E. Campbell, immediate commander of the Alaska National Guard, states Palin plays no role in national defense activities relating to the Guard.

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."

She has been described as an "independent figure," one not afraid to take on her own party when she thinks they are wrong. She has made reform a large part of her political campaigns and "backed ethics reform measures that passed the Legislature" after becoming governor.

On social issues she has "strong support from social conservatives" and has described herself as being as "pro-life as any candidate can be." As governor she has not pushed for any big-agenda social conservative items, instead focusing primarily on economic issues such as raising oil taxes.

When asked about her "crowning achievement" during her time as governor, she listed protecting "our state sovereignty by taking on the big oil industry interests." Palin added that she desires that Alaska becomes a contributor to, rather than "takers from federal government."

Personal life and family

Palin is a self-described "hockey mom" and mother of five. She hunts, goes ice fishing, eats mooseburgers, rides snowmobiles, has run a marathon, and owns a floatplane.

According to the New York Times, Palin "appears to have traveled very little outside the United States" and in July 2007 "had to get a passport before she visited members of the Alaska National Guard" in Kuwait. She also traveled to Germany to visit wounded soldiers. Her spokesman Ben Porritt stated that she has also visited Canada.

Religion

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. When she is in the capital, she attends Juneau Christian Center, another Assemblies of God church. Her current home church in Wasilla is The Wasilla Bible Church, an independent congregation. Initial reports described her as the first Pentecostal ever named to a major party's presidential ticket; 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.

Family

Sarah Palin eloped with her high-school boyfriend, Todd Palin, on August 29, 1988, when she was 24 years old. According to her mother, "It was a shock but she did it because she knew we couldn’t afford a big white wedding." Their first son, Track, was born eight months after their wedding. 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 (born 1989) and Trig (born 2008), and daughters Bristol (born 1991), Willow (born 1995), and Piper (born 2001). Todd and Track Palin are registered to vote as independents ("undeclared"). Track Palin enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 11, 2007, subsequently joining an infantry brigade. Palin's youngest child, Trig, has Down syndrome, diagnosed prenatally.

Palin's announcement in March 2008 that she was seven months pregnant generated publicity and surprise, as did the circumstances of Trig's birth. More than a month before the baby was due, she was in Texas to deliver the keynote address at a conference. At about 4:00 a.m. local time, she began leaking amniotic fluid. She remained in Texas to deliver the speech before taking the eight-hour flight back to Alaska. She landed in Anchorage at 10:30 p.m. and traveled to the Mat-Su Valley Regional Medical Center, arriving an hour later. She gave birth at 6:30 a.m. the next day after her physician-induced labor. Palin returned to work three days later.

Governor 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, 17-year-old Levi Johnston. Bristol Palin is a senior at Wasilla High School. According to Wasilla High School Principal Dwight Probasco, Levi Johnston plays on the school's hockey team but does not attend the school, being home-schooled

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 "off limits" in the coming campaign.

Electoral history

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84. Hopkins, Kyle (2008-07-12). "Governor offered Monegan a different job". Anchorage Daily News. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
85. ^ 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)
86. ^ Cockerham, Sean (2008-08-14). "Palin staff pushed to have trooper fired". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
87. Wall, Ronald (2005-10-29). "Memorandum of Findings" (PDF).
88. ^ 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.
89. Sean Cockerham (2008-08-14). "Alaska's governor admits her staff tried to have trooper fired". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
90. "Governor to Turn Over Findings", Department of Law press release with link to audio of Bailey call], August 13, 2008
91. "Exclusive: Chief Fired by Palin Speaks Out", The Washington Post, August 29, 2008{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
92. Loy, Wesley (2008-07-29). "Hired help will probe Monegan dismissal". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
93. Quinn, Steve (2008-09-01). "Palin hires attorney for public safety controversy". KTUU. The Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-09-01. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP vice presidential candidate, has hired a private practice attorney to defend her and members of her staff in the investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner.
94. 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.
95. "Charles M Kopp". Aacop.org. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
96. "YouTube - Safety Department Commissioner Chuck Kopp resigns". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
97. ^ "McCain taps Alaska Gov. Palin as vice president pick". CNN. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
98. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth; and Michael Cooper. Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman. The New York Times, 2008-08-30.
99. Dan Balz and Robert Barnes. Palin Made an Impression From the Start. The Washington Post, 2008-08-31.
100. Knocked off message by Palin baby news, Newsday
101. Disclosures on Palin Raise Questions on Vetting Process, New York Times
102. Rutenberg, Jim (2008-09-02). "McCain Cancels Larry King Interview". The New York Times/CNN. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
103. "Commissioner Campbell Biography". Ak-prepared.com. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
104. "GOP cites Palin's skill, but how relevant is it? - - CNBC.com". Cnbc.com. Aug. 31, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
105. Arnold, Elizabeth. "Alaska's Governor Is Tough, Young — and a Woman". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
106. "McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate - NYTimes.com". Retrieved 2008-09-01.
107. Smith, Ben (2008-09-02). "Palin's stopover". Politico. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
108. Decker, Cathleen and Michael Finnegan, (August 30, 2008). "Palin has risen quickly from PTA to VP pick". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
109. Gorsk, Eric (2008-08-30). "Evangelicals energized by McCain-Palin ticket". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
110. "JCC". Jccalaska.com. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
111. Statement by her former church
112. Wasilla Bible Church FAQ
113. Lisa Miller and Amanda Coyne. "A Visit to Palin's Church: Scripture and discretion on the program in Wasilla." Newsweek. Sept. 2, 2008.
114. Newton-Small, Jay (August 29, 2008). "Interview with Sarah Palin". Time.
115. Allen, John. "McCain's VP choice a woman — and a post-denominationalist". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
116. Graham, Caroline (2008-08-31). "Why John McCain's beauty queen running mate has a grizzly bear on her office wall". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
117. Davey, Monica (September 1, 2008). "Palin Daughter's Pregnancy Interrupts Script". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
118. "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin". Gov.state.ak.us. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
119. Quinn, Steve and Calvin Woodward (August 31, 2008). "McCain makes history with choice of running mate". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
120. "Palin’s hubby and son not Republicans", by Kenneth P Vogel, 29 Aug 2008, www.politico.com
121. Cooper, Michael (August 29, 2008). "McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-29. She said her eldest child, a son, is in the Army, and he is heading to Iraq on Sept. 11. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
122. Quinn, Steve (September 19, 2007). "Palin's son leaves for Army boot camp". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
123. Demer, Lisa (April 21, 2008). "Palin confirms baby has Down syndrome". Anchorage Daily News.
124. Wesley, Loy (March 6, 2008). "Secret's out: Palin pregnant". Anchorage Daily Times. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
125. George, Rebecca (April 22, 2008). "Palin says she felt safe flying to Alaska to have baby". Daily News-Miner. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
126. Demer, Lisa (April 22, 2008), "Palins' child diagnosed with Down syndrome", Anchorage Daily News{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
127. "John McCain's running mate: Sarah Palin's teenage daughter is pregnant - Telegraph". Telegraph. September 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
128. Shear, Michael D. and Karl Vick. "No Surprises From Palin, McCain Team Says". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
129. "Bristol Palin's pregnancy was an open secret back home". New York Daily News. September 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
130. Van Sack, Jessica (September 2, 2008). "Alaska principal: Bristol Palin's situation will be a learning opportunity for teens". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
131. Associated Press (September 1, 2008). "Palin says 17-year-old daughter is pregnant". Google News. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
132. "Bristol Palin's pregnancy raises issues of privacy, judgment". USA Today. September 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
133. "State of Alaska Primary Election - August 27, 2002: Official Results". Division of Elections. The Office of Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. 2002-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
134. "City of Wasilla Municipal Election – October 5, 1999: Official Results". City Clerk. City of Wasilla. 1999-10-05. Retrieved 2008-08-29.

External links

• Official Campaign Website for McCain/Palin 2008
• Alaska Office of Governor 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
• PBS NOW | Bio and interview with Sarah Palin

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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