Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin (born February 11, 1964, Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.) is an American politician who served as governor of Alaska (2006–09) and was selected by Sen. John McCain to serve as his vice presidential running mate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election. She was the first woman to appear on a Republican presidential ticket. For coverage of the 2008 election, see United States Presidential Election of 2008.

Alaska governor

Palin was less than a year old when her family relocated to Skagway, Alaska. She completed a degree in communications at the University of Idaho (1987) before returning to Alaska to work as a sports reporter at an Anchorage television station. Palin entered politics in 1992 with a seat on the Wasilla city council, and four years later she launched a successful campaign to become that city’s mayor. During her six years in office as mayor, she ushered through a series of infrastructure improvements funded by a sales tax increase, and the city’s operating budget soared.

In 2002 she campaigned for the Republican nomination for the office of lieutenant governor of Alaska. Although she was ultimately unsuccessful, Palin elevated her profile within the party, and she was appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission by newly elected Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski. Palin’s time on the commission was short-lived, however. She resigned after encountering resistance to her investigation of Randy Ruedrich, the state Republican Party chair and a fellow commissioner; Ruedrich later admitted to ethics violations. In 2004 Palin further distanced herself from the party when she joined Democratic lawmakers in their call for an investigation of the Alaska attorney general, who had close ties to Murkowski. This and other issues hurt Murkowski politically, and Palin challenged him for the Republican nomination for governor in August 2006. She defeated him handily, winning 51 percent of the votes in a three-way race, before moving on to a comfortable victory in the general election three months later. Palin became the youngest governor in Alaska’s history, as well as the first woman to hold that post.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

2008 presidential election and role in national politics

In August 2008 she emerged from a field of higher-profile candidates when John McCain chose her to be his running mate in that year’s presidential election. Palin proved an energizing presence—especially popular with the Republican base—but she also drew criticism for several gaffes as well as her tendency to go off-message; campaign staffers referred to such behavior as “going rogue.” By election day, she had become extremely polarizing, and the McCain-Palin pairing ultimately lost to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

1 of 2

2 of 2

Still, Palin established herself as a leading figure within national Republican Party politics, and there was intense speculation that she might seek the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2012. On July 26, 2009, Palin resigned her post as governor of Alaska. The following year she became a contributor to the Fox News Channel. Palin garnered further attention as an unofficial spokesperson for the populist Tea Party movement. In February 2010 she delivered the keynote address at the first National Tea Party Convention, and, in the lead-up to the midterm elections in November, her support helped a number of Tea Party candidates defeat more-established Republican politicians in the congressional primaries. The candidates had mixed results in the general election. In 2011 Palin announced that she would not run for president the following year, and she had little involvement in the race. In 2015 she left Fox News as some questioned her political relevance. During the 2016 election, however, Palin was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, who ultimately won the nomination and the presidency.

Television shows, publications, and The New York Times defamation trials

In addition to her political work, she appeared in the reality television series Sarah Palin’s Alaska (2010–11), which focused on her family and their outdoor adventures, and in a show that centered on her eldest daughter, Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp (2012). Palin’s books included the memoir Going Rogue: An American Life (2009), America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag (2010), Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas (2013), and Sweet Freedom: A Devotional (2015). The Undefeated, a documentary about her life, was released in 2011.

In 2017 The New York Times ran an editorial claiming a clear link between a map distributed by Palin’s PAC—it depicted electoral districts overlaid with stylized crosshairs—and the 2011 shooting of Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Within hours of its publication, however, the Times issued a correction, noting that no connection between the map and the shooting had been established. Nevertheless, Palin sued for defamation, and the trial began in 2022. While the jury was deliberating, the judge ruled that Palin had failed to prove her case. However, he allowed the jury—which was unaware of his decision—to continue deliberations, and it reached the same verdict. After a federal appeals court cited judicial errors and granted a retrial, the case returned to court in 2025. On April 4 a federal jury again ruled in favor of the Times.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

In April 2022, shortly after the first trial ended, Palin announced that she was running in the special election to complete the late Republican Don Young’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She quickly received Trump’s endorsement, though some voters expressed doubts about her commitment to the state. The special election was held in August 2022, and Palin was defeated by Democrat Mary Peltola. It was Alaska’s first statewide use of ranked-choice voting, and Palin called the process “crazy, convoluted, [and] confusing.” Despite the setback, she competed in the November election for a full term in the House, and she again lost to Peltola.