Sarah Palin

Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the 9th governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. As the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee alongside Arizona Senator John McCain, she was the first Republican female vice presidential nominee and the second female vice presidential nominee of a major party, after Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. The McCain-Palin ticket lost the 2008 election to the Democratic Party's then-U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Palin was elected to the Wasilla city council in 1992 and became mayor of Wasilla in 1996. In 2003, after an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor, she was appointed chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, responsible for overseeing the state's oil and gas fields for safety and efficiency. In 2006, she became the youngest person and the first woman to be elected Governor of Alaska.