Sarah Palin

American politician and Republican candidate for the US Vice President in the 2008 election. Prior to being selected by John McCain (candidate for President), she was Governor of Alaska for 18 months and mayor of Wasilla, AK. Palin's family moved to Alaska when she was three months old. She is is third-born among four siblings born to Chuck and Sally Heath, a teacher and a school secretary respectively. In high school she was a star basketball player nicknamed "The Barracuda" and went on to enter a local beauty pageant, ultimately placing second in the statewide competition. After attending three other colleges (and the University of Idaho for a previous term), Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. On August 29, 1988, she married her high school sweetheart Todd Palin, an athletic man who has worked as a commerical fisherman and part-time oilman. He won the Iron Dog snowmobile race (nearly 2000 miles long) four times. An athlete herself, she ran at least one marathon and stays physically active. As she built her family, she became active in the PTA (parent-teacher association) and a citizens' council in Wasilla, her home town. She ran for mayor in 1996 and served two terms, leaving in 2002 because of term limits on the office. That year she waged an unsuccessful bid for the position of lieutenant governor but landed an assignment on the state energy commission. She subsequently quit her post citing corruption and cronyism. In 2006 she waged a successful bid for the state Governor's office. Palin is the attractive mother of five children: a boy Track born in 1989 (one source gave April 1989); daughter Bristol (1990); daughter Willow (1995); daughter Piper (2001) and son Trig, born a month prematurely with Downs syndrome on April 18, 2008 at 6:30 AM local time (according to People magazine) at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, AK. Palin is ultra-conservative on social-cultural issues, rejecting abortion for any reason and advocating that creationism be taught along with evolution in schools. John McCain, at the time the presumed nominee for President of the Republican Party, selected Palin to be his running mate. They made a joint announcement on August 29, 2008 and their nomination became official on September 4, 2008 at the Republican Party convention in St. Paul, MN. She was on the losing ticket, however. John McCain conceded the election on November 4, 2008 in Phoenix, AZ at about 9:15 MST. She became a grandmother when her daughter Bristol gave birth to a son named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston on December 27, 2008. The unwed mother became the subject of media attention during the ill-fated campaign. On July 3, 2009 in Wasilla, Alaska, she announced her intention to resign as Alaska's Governor on July 26, 2009. The reasons she offered (being a lame duck and having a constant battle with the media and critics were not good for Alaska and family considerations), along with the apparent suddenness of her decision, prompted media criticism and speculation that she is planning a run for the Presidency in 2012. She concluded her speech with, "In the words of General MacArthur said [sic], 'We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.'" In November 2009 she seemed to be featured or discussed on every media outlet, including the popular Oprah Winfrey Show, as she promoted her book "Going Rogue." In January 2010 she signed a multi-year deal with Fox news channel to work as a contributor. Staying active in politics as well as in the spotlight she backed and campaigned for many 2010 Tea Pary candidates, a group of conservative activists formally in the Republican Party. To add to her media blitz, she put together a "reality" series called "Sarah Palin's Alaska," featuring her and her family members enjoying their state in outdoor excursions. The eight-episode show aired in mid-November 2010. In anticipation of her latest book "America by Heart" (released November 2010) she appeared in a flurry of television interviews. Link to Wikipedia biography