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Former Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska (R)
Potential 2012 Candidate for President of the United States
Sarah Louise Palin (née Heath) (born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, author, speaker, and political news commentator who was
the youngest person and the first woman elected Governor of Alaska. She served as Governor from 2006 until she resigned in 2009. Chosen by
Republican Party Presidential candidate John McCain in August 2008 to be his running mate in that year's Presidential election, she was the
first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party, as well as the first female Vice-Presidential nominee of the Republican Party.
Before she was elected Governor, Palin was a member of the Wasilla, Alaska City Council from 1992 to 1996, and the city's mayor 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 until she
resigned in 2004.
On July 3, 2009, Palin announced she would not seek re-election as Governor and that she was resigning effective July 26, 2009, 18 months
before the completion of her term. She cited ethics complaints that had been filed following her selection as running mate to John McCain as
one of the reasons for her resignation, saying the resulting investigations had affected her ability to govern the state. Speculation that
she would run for the Republican Party Presidential nomination in 2012 began prior to the defeat of the McCain–Palin ticket in 2008, and,
according to Newsweek Magazine, Palin's husband Todd was rumored to have called around to Alaska bigwigs telling them to hold their powder until
2012. Before the conclusion of the 2008 election.
In November 2009, Palin's autobiography Going Rogue: An American Life was released and it quickly became a bestseller, selling more than two
million copies. In January 2010, Palin began providing political commentary to the Fox News Channel under a multi-year contract. It was announced
in March 2010 that she was to host her own TV show, Sarah Palin's Alaska, and the reality program enjoyed the highest ratings of any
premiere in the history of cable channel TLC's history. Palin authored a second book, America by Heart,
which hit bookshelves in November 2010.
In February 2010, Palin stated she would not close the door on the possibility of a run for President.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Newsweek, wikipedia.org
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