Sarah Palin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sarah Palin
Palin in 2021
9th Governor of Alaska
In office December 4, 2006 – July 26, 2009
Lieutenant	Sean Parnell
Preceded by	Frank Murkowski
Succeeded by	Sean Parnell
Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
In office February 19, 2003 – January 23, 2004
Governor	Frank Murkowski
Deputy	Mike Bill Randy Ruedrich Daniel Seamount
Preceded by	Camille Taylor
Succeeded by	John Norman
Mayor of Wasilla
In office October 14, 1996 – October 14, 2002
Preceded by	John Stein
Succeeded by	Dianne Keller
Member of the Wasilla City Council from Ward E
In office October 19, 1992 – October 14, 1996
Preceded by	Dorothy Smith
Succeeded by	Colleen Cottle
Personal details
Born	Sarah Louise Heath (1964-02-11) February 11, 1964 (age 61) Sandpoint, Idaho, U.S.
Political party	Republican (Since 1982)
Spouse	Todd Palin ​ ​ (m. 1988; div. 2020)​
Children	5, including Bristol
Education	University of Idaho (BA)
Signature

Sarah Louise Palin (born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, writer, and TV personality. She was the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until she resigned in 2009. In 2008, she was the Republican candidate for Vice President of the United States, running with U.S. Senator John McCain.

Palin started her political career on the Wasilla city council in 1992. She became mayor of Wasilla in 1996. In 2003, she was chosen to lead the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. This group makes sure oil and gas fields in the state are safe and work well. In 2006, at 42, she became the youngest person and the first woman to be elected governor of Alaska. She resigned in 2009 due to high legal costs from ethics investigations.

After leaving her role as governor, Palin became a strong supporter of the Tea Party movement. She has also appeared on TV, hosting shows like Sarah Palin's Alaska and Amazing America with Sarah Palin. Her book, Going Rogue, sold over a million copies. In 2022, she ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives for Alaska but did not win.

Early Life and Education

Sarah Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, on February 11, 1964. She was the third of four children. Her mother, Sarah "Sally" Heath, was a school secretary, and her father, Charles R. "Chuck" Heath, was a science teacher and sports coach.

When Sarah was a baby, her family moved to Skagway, Alaska. They later moved to Eagle River, Anchorage in 1969, and then settled in Wasilla, Alaska in 1972.

Palin played the flute in her junior high band. She went to Wasilla High School, where she was a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was also a member of the girls' basketball and cross-country running teams. In her senior year, she helped her basketball team win the 1982 Alaska state championship. This earned her the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" because she was very competitive.

In 1984, Palin won the Miss Wasilla beauty pageant. She also placed third in the Miss Alaska pageant, where she was named "Miss Congeniality." She played the flute for the talent part of the competition.

After high school, Palin went to several colleges before earning her bachelor's degree. She studied communications with a focus on journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.

Early Career

After college, Palin worked as a sportscaster for TV stations in Anchorage. She also worked as a sports reporter for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper. This was something she had always wanted to do.

Political Career

Palin has been a member of the Republican Party since 1982.

Wasilla City Council

In 1992, Palin was elected to the Wasilla City Council. She won the election by a good number of votes.

Mayor of Wasilla

Palin ran for mayor of Wasilla in 1996 because she was concerned about how the city's money was being spent. She won against the current mayor, John Stein. She was re-elected in 1999. She served two terms, which was the maximum allowed by the city's rules. In 1999, she was also chosen to be the president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

First Term

As mayor, Palin used money from a new sales tax to lower property taxes by 75%. She also got rid of some other business taxes. She used city funds to improve roads and sewers and gave more money to the police department. She also helped create new bike paths and got funding to protect freshwater.

Soon after becoming mayor, Palin asked for resignation letters from city department heads who had worked with the previous mayor. She said she wanted to make sure they supported her plans. She also temporarily required department heads to get her approval before talking to reporters. She created a new position called city administrator and cut her own salary by 10%, though this was later changed back by the city council.

Palin also discussed with her staff whether a book should be removed from the library if people protested it. However, no books were actually removed from the library during her time as mayor.

Second Term

During her second term, Palin suggested building a city sports center. Voters approved this idea, and the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center was built on time and within its budget. However, the city did spend extra money due to a lawsuit over land ownership. The city's debt grew because of this project and other improvements like roads and water systems.

Palin also worked with other communities to get federal money for Wasilla. This money helped fund projects like a youth shelter, a transportation center, and sewer repairs. The mayor of Wasilla in 2008 said that Palin's tax cuts and improvements helped bring large stores and many shoppers to the city.

State Politics

In 2002, Palin ran for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor but came in second. After this, she supported the Republican candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, Frank Murkowski and Loren Leman, who won the election.

Governor Murkowski then offered Palin a job. In 2003, she became the chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. This commission watches over Alaska's oil and gas fields to make sure they are safe and efficient. Even though she didn't have much experience in this area, she wanted to learn more about the oil industry. She also became the ethics supervisor for the commission. She reported ethics problems she found, which led to some officials resigning. Palin herself resigned in 2004 to make her concerns public.

From 2003 to 2005, Palin helped lead a group that trained Republican women in Alaska for political roles. In 2004, she decided not to run for the U.S. Senate because her teenage son didn't want her to. She said, "How could I be the team mom if I was a U.S. Senator?"

Governor of Alaska

In 2006, Palin ran for governor on a promise to improve government ethics. She defeated the current governor, Frank Murkowski, in the Republican primary. Her running mate was Sean Parnell.

In the November election, Palin won even though she spent less money than her opponent. She defeated former Democratic governor Tony Knowles. She became Alaska's first female governor and, at 42, the youngest governor in Alaska's history. She was also the first governor born after Alaska became a U.S. state.

She started her term on December 4, 2006. For most of her time as governor, she was very popular with Alaskan voters. Polls in 2007 showed her approval rating as high as 93%.

Palin said her main goals were to develop resources, improve education, and focus on public health, safety, and transportation. She had promised to reform ethics during her campaign. Her first action as governor was to push for a bill to improve ethics in government, which she signed into law in 2007.

Palin often disagreed with other Republicans in Alaska. For example, she supported Sean Parnell's effort to unseat Don Young, a long-serving U.S. Representative. She also publicly challenged U.S. Senator Ted Stevens to be open about a federal investigation into his money matters. She supported drilling for oil and natural gas in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

In 2007, Palin traveled to Kuwait to visit soldiers from the Alaska National Guard. On her way back, she visited injured soldiers in Germany.

Budget and Spending

In 2007, Palin signed a record $6.6 billion state budget. She also used her power to cut $237 million from the capital budget, which was the second-largest cut in state history. In 2008, she cut another $286 million from the budget.

Palin also kept a campaign promise to sell the state's private jet, which had been bought by the previous governor against the legislature's wishes. The jet was first listed on eBay and later sold for $2.1 million.

Governor's Expenses

Palin lived in Juneau during the legislative session and worked from offices in Anchorage the rest of the year. She claimed a daily travel allowance and reimbursement for hotel stays, even though she often commuted to her home in Wasilla. She did not use a private chef like the previous governor.

Some people criticized Palin for taking these allowances and for her family's travel expenses. However, her staff said these actions followed state rules. They also noted that her expenses were much lower than her predecessor's. In 2009, Alaska changed its policy so that travel allowances for staying at home would be taxed. Palin had asked for this review.

In 2008, a state commission suggested raising the governor's salary. Palin said she would not accept the raise, so the recommendation was dropped.

Federal Money

In 2008, Palin said that Alaska should not rely too much on federal government funding. Alaska does not have a sales tax or income tax. Instead, it gets a lot of money from oil revenues. Even with this money, Palin asked for $197 million in federal funding for the 2009 state budget. This was a big decrease from previous years. Palin said that her reduced requests for federal money caused tension with Alaska's congressional leaders.

Bridge to Nowhere

A controversial project was proposed in 2002 to build a bridge to connect Gravina Island with Ketchikan. This bridge was nicknamed "The Bridge to Nowhere" by critics. The federal government had set aside money for it.

In 2006, Palin supported building the bridge during her campaign for governor. She said she would not let people make the project sound negative. However, in September 2007, as governor, Palin canceled the Gravina Island Bridge project. She said that Congress was no longer interested in spending more money on it. Alaska did not return the $442 million in federal transportation funds.

In 2008, when she was a vice-presidential candidate, Palin said she had told Congress "thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere." Some people in Ketchikan said this was not true, as she had supported the project and kept the federal money after it was canceled.

Gas Pipeline

In 2008, Palin signed a bill that allowed TransCanada Pipelines to build a pipeline. This pipeline would transport natural gas from Alaska to the rest of the United States through Canada. The state also promised $500 million to help the project.

This project was expected to cost $26 billion. Newsweek called it the main achievement of Sarah Palin's time as governor.

Predator Control

In 2007, Palin supported a state policy that allowed hunting wolves from the air. This was part of a program to increase the number of moose and caribou for hunters. The state offered money to volunteer pilots and gunners for each wolf killed. Wildlife groups sued the state, and a judge said the payments were illegal. In 2008, Alaskans voted against ending the state's predator control program.

Job Approval Ratings

As governor, Palin's approval rating among Alaskans was very high, reaching 93% in May 2007. It later dropped to 54% in May 2009.

Date	Approval	Disapproval	Pollster
May 15, 2007	93%	Not reported	Dittman Research
May 30, 2007	89%	Not reported	Ivan Moore Research
October 19–21, 2007	83%	11%	Ivan Moore Research
April 10, 2008	73%	7%	Rasmussen Reports
May 17, 2008	69%	9%	Rasmussen Reports
July 24–25, 2008	80%	Not reported	Hays Research Group
July 30, 2008	64%	14%	Rasmussen Reports
September 20–22, 2008	68%	Not reported	Ivan Moore Research
October 7, 2008	63%	37%	Rasmussen Reports
March 24–25, 2009	59.8%	34.9%	Hays Research
May 4–5, 2009	54%	41.6%	Hays Research
June 14–18, 2009	56%	35%	Global Strategy Group

Resignation

On July 3, 2009, Palin announced she would resign as governor before the end of the month. She said that she and the state had spent a lot of time and money ($2.5 million) dealing with many legal and ethics complaints against her. She also said she didn't want to be a "lame duck" governor, meaning a leader who has little power left.

Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell said that Palin's decision to resign was mainly due to the high legal costs from these investigations. Palin and her husband had personally paid over $500,000 in legal fees. Sean Parnell became governor on July 26, 2009, after Palin's resignation.

In December 2010, new rules for ethics in Alaska's government were put in place. These rules allow the state to pay legal costs for officials who are found innocent of ethics violations. They also allow family members of the governor or lieutenant governor to travel at state cost in some situations.

2008 Vice Presidential Campaign

In the summer of 2007, some conservative commentators suggested that John McCain should choose Palin as his running mate for Vice President. They thought she would bring excitement to the Republican party.

On August 27, 2008, McCain offered Palin the position of vice-presidential candidate. Her selection was a surprise to many because she was not well-known outside Alaska. On August 29, in Dayton, Ohio, McCain introduced Palin as his running mate. This made her the first Alaskan and the second woman to run on a major U.S. party ticket.

Before her selection, Palin was largely unknown outside Alaska. On September 1, 2008, Palin shared that her daughter Bristol was pregnant. On September 3, Palin gave a speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention. Her speech was well-received and watched by over 40 million people.

During the campaign, there was some debate about whether Palin's views had changed. Some media outlets said McCain's campaign was limiting reporters' access to Palin. Her first big interview, with Charles Gibson of ABC News, got mixed reactions. Her third interview, with Katie Couric of CBS News, was widely criticized. After this, her poll numbers dropped, and some Republicans worried she was hurting the campaign.

Palin prepared a lot for her debate with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden on October 2. Polls found that while Palin did better than many expected, most voters felt Biden won the debate.

After the debate, Palin became more aggressive in her attacks on the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama. She said it was time to "take the gloves off."

Palin appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 18. She had been famously parodied by actress Tina Fey, who looked a lot like her.

A controversy came up when it was reported that the Republican National Committee (RNC) spent $150,000 on clothes, hair, and makeup for Palin and her family. Campaign spokespeople said the clothes would go to charity after the election. Palin and some media outlets said this criticism was unfair because of gender bias. Palin later returned the clothes to the RNC.

The election was on November 4, and Obama was announced as the winner. In his speech, McCain thanked Palin, calling her "one of the best campaigners I've ever seen."

Experts have studied how Palin affected the 2008 election results. Some studies suggest her campaign performance might have slightly reduced McCain's final vote share.

After the 2008 Election

In January 2009, Palin was the first guest on Glenn Beck's Fox News show. She said she would help President Barack Obama in any way to improve the country, while still keeping her conservative views.

In August 2009, she used the phrase "death panel" to describe parts of the proposed health care reform. She said it would force people like her parents or her child with Down syndrome to be judged on their "level of productivity" to get health care. Many Democrats criticized this phrase, and Politifact called it the "Lie of the Year of 2009." However, some conservatives defended her use of the term.

In March 2010, Palin started a show on TLC called Sarah Palin's Alaska. The first episode was watched by five million viewers, a record for TLC. She also had a segment on Fox News. Fox News and Palin ended their working relationship in January 2013, but she rejoined Fox News Channel as an analyst in June 2013.

SarahPAC

On January 27, 2009, Palin created a political action committee called SarahPAC. This group supports candidates for federal and state offices. After she resigned as governor, Palin said she wanted to campaign for candidates who believed in the right things. SarahPAC raised nearly $1,000,000. A special fund was set up to help Palin with her legal costs from ethics complaints. In 2010, this defense fund was ruled illegal because it used her position as governor to raise money for her personal benefit. SarahPAC was closed at the end of 2016.

After a shooting in Arizona in 2011, Palin faced criticism for a graphic on her SarahPAC website. The graphic showed crosshairs over the districts of some Democratic politicians. Palin said that "acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own" and that the accusations against her were like a "blood libel".

Going Rogue and America by Heart

In November 2009, Palin released her book, Going Rogue: An American Life. In it, she shares details about her personal and political life, including why she resigned as governor. She said the title came from how some of McCain's staff described her when she spoke her mind during the campaign. The book sold over one million copies in less than two weeks.

Palin traveled to 11 states on a bus with her family to promote the book. She also appeared on TV shows, including a well-known interview with Oprah Winfrey. In November 2010, her second book, America by Heart, was released. This book includes parts of her favorite speeches, sermons, and literature.

Tea Party Movement

On February 6, 2010, Palin was the main speaker at the first Tea Party convention in Nashville, Tennessee. She said the Tea Party movement was "the future of politics in America." She criticized President Obama for increasing debt.

In 2011, Palin was also a speaker at a Tea Party rally in Madison, Wisconsin. She urged members of the Tea Party movement to work together and avoid arguments with other Republicans.

2010 Endorsements

In 2010, Palin supported many conservative Republican women running for office. She endorsed 64 Republican candidates in total. She was very helpful in raising money for those she supported. Her support for Joe Miller in Alaska's primary election for U.S. Senator was seen as a key moment in his win over the current Senator Lisa Murkowski. However, Murkowski later won the general election as a write-in candidate.

Palin's influence in these primary elections led to more talk that she might run for president in 2012.

2012 Election Cycle

After the 2008 presidential campaign, there was a movement to encourage Palin to run for president. In February 2010, she said she would consider running in 2012 if she believed it was "right for the country."

In November 2010, Palin confirmed she was thinking about running for president. She said she was discussing it with her family. In March 2011, she visited India and Israel. During her trip, she was asked about running for president and said, "It's time that a woman is president of the United States of America."

However, on October 5, 2011, Palin announced she had decided not to seek the Republican nomination for president.

2014 Alaska Governor Election Endorsement

In October 2014, Palin supported a "unity ticket" of Independent Bill Walker and Democrat Byron Mallott for governor of Alaska. This ticket ran against her successor, Sean Parnell. Palin supported Walker and Mallott because she disagreed with Parnell's tax cuts for the oil and gas industry. Walker and Mallott won the election in November 2014.

2016 Presidential Election Endorsement

In January 2016, Palin endorsed Donald Trump for president. Michael Glassner, who was a political director for Trump's campaign, had previously worked for Palin.

In May 2016, Palin said she would work to defeat Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. She criticized Ryan for not supporting Trump. A few days later, Ryan easily won his primary election.

2017 Defamation Lawsuit

In June 2017, Palin sued The New York Times for an editorial. The editorial suggested a link between an advertisement from Palin's political group and a 2011 shooting. The Times later corrected the editorial, saying "no such link was established."

Palin's lawsuit was initially dismissed in August 2017. The judge said Palin had not shown that the newspaper acted with "actual malice," which is a high legal standard for public figures. However, in August 2019, a higher court brought the lawsuit back. The trial was set for January 2022 but was delayed when Palin tested positive for COVID-19. On February 15, 2022, a jury decided in favor of The New York Times, finding that Palin had not proven actual malice.

2022 House of Representatives Candidacy

After the death of Alaska's U.S. Representative Don Young, Palin ran in the special election for his vacant seat. On April 3, 2022, former president Donald Trump supported her campaign.

Palin was one of the top three candidates in the special election. She lost to Democrat Mary Peltola after the final votes were counted on August 31. She received 30.9% of the votes in the first round and 48.5% after other votes were transferred.

After losing the special election, Palin ran again in the November general election for the same seat. She lost to Mary Peltola again, by an even larger margin.

Political Positions

Palin has been a registered Republican since 1982.

Health Care

Palin was against the 2010 health care reform law. She said it would lead to government control over health care decisions, using the term "death panels."

Social Issues

Palin is against same-sex marriage and supports capital punishment.

Education

Palin supports discussing creationism alongside evolution in public schools. She believes evolution "should be taught as an accepted principle" and that her belief in God's role in creation is not part of school policy.

Guns

Palin is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). She believes the Second Amendment protects the right to own handguns. She is against bans on semi-automatic assault weapons. She also supports teaching young people about gun safety.

Environment

Palin supports drilling for oil off-shore and on land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She believes that stopping domestic energy production does not solve global warming issues and can make them worse. After the 2008 election, Palin called studies supporting the scientific consensus on climate change "snake oil science." She criticized environmental laws as being a burden on businesses.

Foreign Policy

Palin is a strong supporter of Israel. She supported the George W. Bush administration's policies in Iraq. She believes the U.S. should take military action if there is an immediate threat. She also supported increasing the defense budget to maintain a strong military.

Palin was against the Obama administration's plan for military action in the Syrian Civil War in 2013. In 2008, she supported NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. However, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Palin suggested reducing U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

Palin opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which limited Iran's nuclear program. She felt the agreement was not strict enough.

Television Appearance

In 2020, Palin appeared on The Masked Singer as "Bear." She was the first contestant from Group C to be eliminated. She told host Nick Cannon that she did the show as a "walking middle finger to the haters."

Personal Life

In August 1988, Sarah Heath married her high-school sweetheart, Todd Palin. They have five children: sons Track (born 1989) and Trig (born 2008), and daughters Bristol (born 1990), Willow (born 1994), and Piper (born 2001). Their youngest child, Trig, was diagnosed with Down syndrome before he was born.

Todd Palin worked for the oil company BP as an oil-field operator before retiring in 2009. He also owns a commercial fishing business.

Palin was baptized Catholic as a baby, but her family later attended non-denominational churches. She then joined the Wasilla Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church, until 2002. After that, she attended the Wasilla Bible Church. Palin describes herself as a "Bible-believing Christian."

Todd Palin filed for divorce from Sarah on August 29, 2019, saying they had "incompatibility of temperament." The divorce was finalized on March 23, 2020.

Electoral History

1992 Wasilla City Council Seat E election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan politician	Sarah Palin	530	54.92
	Nonpartisan politician	John Hartrick	310	32.12
	Write-in	Others	125	12.95
Total votes			965

1996 Wasilla mayoral election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan politician	Sarah H. Palin	651	57.66
	Nonpartisan politician	John C. Stein (incumbent)	440	38.97
	Nonpartisan politician	Cliff Silvers	36	3.19
	Write-in	Others	2	0.18
Total votes			965

1999 Wasilla mayoral election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Nonpartisan politician	Sarah Palin (incumbent)	909	73.60
	Nonpartisan politician	John Stein	292	23.64
	Nonpartisan politician	Cliff Silvers	32	2.59
	Write-in	Others	2	0.16
Turnout			1,235	32.62

2006 Alaska gubernatorial Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sarah Palin	51,443	50.59
	Republican	John Binkley	30,349	29.84
	Republican	Frank Murkowski (incumbent)	19,412	19.09
	Republican	Gerald Heikes	280	0.28
	Republican	Merica Hlatcu	211	0.21
Total votes			101,695	100.00

2006 Alaska gubernatorial election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sarah Palin	114,697	48.33	-7.6
	Democratic	Tony Knowles	97,238	40.97	+0.3
	Independent	Andrew Halcro	22,443	9.46	n/a
	Independence	Don Wright	1,285	0.54	-0.4
	Libertarian	Billy Toien	682	0.29	-0.2
	Green	David Massie	593	0.25	-1.0
	Write-in candidate	Write-in votes	384	0.16	+0.1
Plurality			17,459	7.36
Turnout			238,307	51.1
	Republican hold		Swing	-7.6

2008 United States presidential election
Party		Presidential Candidate	Vice Presidential Candidate	Popular vote		Electoral vote
				Count	Percentage
	Democratic Party	Barack Obama	Joe Biden	69,456,897	52.92%	365
	Republican Party	John McCain	Sarah Palin	59,934,786	45.66%	173
	Independent	Ralph Nader	Matt Gonzalez	738,475	0.56%	0
	Libertarian Party	Bob Barr	Wayne Allyn Root	523,686	0.40%	0
	Green	Cynthia McKinney	Rosa Clemente	161,603	0.12%	0
	Other			226,908	0.17%	0
Total				131,241,669	100%	538

2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election

Party		Candidate	Round 1			Round 2
			Votes	%	Transfer	Votes	%
	Democratic	Peltola, MaryMary Peltola	74,807	39.66%	+17,000	91,206	51.47%
	Republican	Palin, SarahSarah Palin	58,328	30.93%	+27,659	85,987	48.53%
	Republican	Begich, NickNick Begich	52,504	27.84%	-52,504	Eliminated
	Write-in		2,971	1.58%	-2,971	Eliminated
Total votes			188,610	100.00%		177,193	94.29%
Inactive ballots			0	0.00%	+10,726	10,726	5.71%
	Democratic gain from Republican

2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district election

Party		Candidate	Round 1			Round 2			Round 3
			Votes	%	Transfer	Votes	%	Transfer	Votes	%
	Democratic	Peltola, MaryMary Peltola (incumbent)	128,329	48.68%	+1,038	129,433	49.20%	+7,460	136,893	54.94%
	Republican	Palin, SarahSarah Palin	67,732	25.74%	+1,064	69,242	26.32%	+43,013	112,255	45.06%
	Republican	Begich, NickNick Begich	61,431	23.34%	+1,988	64,392	24.48%	-64,392	Eliminated
	Libertarian	Bye, ChrisChris Bye	4,560	1.73%	-4,560	Eliminated
	Write-in		1,096	0.42%	-1,096	Eliminated
Total votes			263,148	100.00%		263,067	100.00%		249,148	100.00%
Inactive ballots			2,193	0.83%	+906	3,097	1.16%	+14,765	17,016	5.55%
	Democratic hold

See also

• List of female governors in the United States

Images for kids

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  Sarah Palin's signature