Did you know that Sarah Palin was a television sports journalist before
making her jump into politics? So how else has the
former Governor of Alaska changed over the years? Keep watching to find out.
While many know Sarah Palin to be synonymous with Alaska, it might come as a surprise
for you to learn that she was born not in the "Last Frontier" state, but in the continental
United States. Palin — born Sarah Louise Heath — was welcomed by her parents on February 11, 1964
in Sandpoint, Idaho. Palin, however, was only in Idaho for about three months. When she was
still a baby, her parents packed up and moved to Alaska. And, of course, the rest is history.
"I’m so happy that you are here with me in my own backyard, majestic Alaska."
Palin's parents, Charles and Sally Heath, relocated their family to Alaska due to
an employment opportunity in Skagway, but ultimately settled in Wasilla where Palin
spent the rest of her childhood. Charles worked as both a track coach and a science teacher,
and Sally had a job as a secretary at a school. As Sarah was growing up,
she engaged in all things Alaska as a kid — hunting and driving around on
snowmobiles. She was also well known in high school for her basketball skills.
While it might shock you to learn that Sarah Palin ate moose in the Alaskan frontier as a kid,
it might surprise you even more to learn that she transformed from a wilderness kid
into a beauty pageant contestant. That's right — in 1984, Palin competed in the Miss
Alaska competition. During the pageant, the announcer described Palin by saying:
"Sarah says she wants to prepare for a career in television broadcasting by
majoring in telecommunications and political science. It is no wonder that she has also
been recognized by 'Who's Who?' since she has displayed her leadership in all areas."
Palin didn't take home the title, but apparently she was close to snagging the crown. The winner,
Maryline Blackburn, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the competition
was fierce between her and Palin, and that the future politician did not come to play games.
Sarah Palin's college experience
was fraught with change, to put it lightly. The future Governor of Alaska went to four colleges
over a period of six years, before eventually earning a degree from the University of Idaho.
Here's what happened. Palin started college at Hawaii Pacific University,
pursuing a degree in business administration. From there,
she transferred to North Idaho College — which is a two-year school — and became a
general studies major. After two semesters, she transferred to the University of Idaho,
but had moved on to Matanuska-Susitna College in Alaska the next year. She then ultimately
went back to the University of Idaho where she eventually finished her degree in journalism.
While many of us only know Sarah Palin for her political career, she actually started her
professional path in journalism — sportscasting, to be exact. Palin worked for the Anchorage NBC
affiliate station KTUU in 1988 and covered a variety of sports from baseball to basketball.
She even made her debut on Super Bowl Sunday. While working at the station, Palin still went by
her maiden name, Heath, and her later name change led to a funny interaction with her former boss.
When Palin was announced on the John McCain ticket in 2008, she was, of course, known by
her married name. However, John Hernandez, the KTUU sports director when Palin was on the team,
was under the impression that Palin and Heath were two entirely different people. As reported
by the Los Angeles Times, a friend "connected the dots" for the sports director, who was shocked
to learn that his former intern was a governor seeking the second-highest office in the country.
Sarah Palin had quite the reputation in high school. Her basketball skills were unmatched,
and she was even known as "Sarah Barracuda" because of her fierce approach on the court.
High school didn't just bring Sarah an athletic reputation, however; it also brought her romance.
Sarah met Todd Palin all the way back in the high school halls, and the two were apparently
smitten with one another. Sarah and Todd tied the knot in an elopement ceremony in August 1988,
and the future governor went on to assist Todd in his commercial fishing business.
Years later, while she was on the trail with John McCain, Sarah opened up about her marriage to Todd
and the experiences that they had together. According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette,
the campaign altered everything for the couple. But in a shout-out
during her speech at the Republican National Convention, Sarah did not mince her words:
"We met in high school, and two decades and five children later, he's still my guy."
So how did Sarah Palin jump into politics? We have to go all the way back to the early 1990s to start
tracking her political career. After serving as a sportscaster, which no doubt expanded her public
profile, Palin ran for a seat on the Wasilla City Council. Palin won the 1992 race and was reelected
to the same seat in 1995. While a council member, Palin weighed in on issues regarding
city budgeting, sexual assault and the ways in which victims were treated, censored books,
and more. Her work propelled her onto a larger scene, and she successfully ran for mayor in 1996.
Palin was still a very young woman at the time, and winning a mayoral race
is no easy feat. She took office in 1996, and served out her first term until 1999.
Palin ran for mayor for a second time and once again won, serving in the same post
until 2002. Due to term limits, Palin was unable to run for mayor for a third consecutive term,
but clearly she had done what she could to make a name for herself in politics.
Sarah Palin surprised everyone when she ran — and won — her race for Alaska's governorship in 2006.
She was a popular candidate and governor, earning a high approval rating of 93%
in 2007, per PolitiFact. Her time in the governor's position was not without controversy,
as most politicians' careers aren't, but Palin did rack up some accomplishments.
One of Governor Palin's biggest claims to fame was her approval of a natural gas pipeline
that was designed to run through Canada. The plan required $500 million of taxpayer money,
and it landed Palin in hot water with native tribes in the area.
Another defining aspect of Palin's time in office was an investigation that was
conducted into her administration about a fired Alaska state trooper. Palin had been accused of
having a hand in the firing of the trooper, who just happened to be her former brother-in-law.
Despite the familial drama, the Alaska Personnel Board did not find any wrongdoing.
"We have nothing to hide. Absolutely nothing to hide."
Throughout her marriage to Todd Palin, Sarah Palin had a number of children:
Track Palin, Bristol Palin, Willow Palin, and Piper Palin. In 2007 — the year before she was
announced as a vice presidential candidate — Palin found out she was pregnant with her fifth child,
and the experience was not an easy one. She sat down with Barbara Walters to discuss her journey,
and shared vulnerable experiences. Sarah found out she was pregnant while at a conference in
New Orleans. Still the governor of Alaska, she told Walters she was nervous about the process.
"For a fleeting thought, I knew what women go through when they're facing what they believe
at the time are less than ideal circumstances. I never thought, do I want another child? What
I did think for that split second was, 'Gee, now, of all times?' And yeah, I'm no spring chicken."
Her fifth child, Trig Palin, was born with Down syndrome, and in a move that surprised
many for a Republican politician, Sarah discussed abortion and what her options were at the time.
When John McCain named Sarah Palin as
his running mate during the 2008 presidential campaign, some people were shocked. Palin was
the governor of a state that was fairly isolated, and she was the opposite of a Washington insider.
But perhaps that's where she beat out the other candidates for the gig. In an extensive piece
for The New Yorker, Palin's prospects as a vice presidential nominee were discussed.
The New Yorker noted that as soon as Palin became governor,
she formed bonds with the Washington politicians who supported the decision
to put her on McCain's ticket. John Bitney, Palin's top policy adviser, told the outlet:
"There's some political opportunism on her part. She's had D.C. in mind.
She's not interested in being on the junior-varsity team."
Palin also took advantage of political pundits traveling through Juneau, Alaska,
often taking them to the governor's mansion to presumably discuss the future of her political
career. By the time Adam Brickley, the man responsible for finding McCain's running mate,
came across Palin and her impressive lobbying, it became clear that she was the woman for the job.
"Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska."
John McCain and Sarah Palin would go on to lose the 2008 presidential race to Barack Obama and
Joe Biden. Unlike McCain, who returned to politics, Palin all but rejected the
field and returned to a life in Alaska. She also turned her attention to a media career,
and, given her background in journalism, her decision to pursue that line of work made sense.
One of Palin's first ventures in the world of media came with her show
Sarah Palin's Alaska. It premiered on TLC in 2010, and followed Palin for nine episodes as
she trekked through the frontier with her family. While the show was not picked up
for a second season, it did mark the start of a number of media ventures for Palin.
Another foray into the world of post-political media came in the form of Palin's book,
Going Rogue: An American Life. Like many politicians who leave office or
the political sphere at large, Palin released a memoir to an eager audience that wanted to
get her inside thoughts on the campaign, her life, and the challenges she faced.
With media ventures and book releases,
Sarah Palin kept herself busy in the years following her vice presidential campaign.
However, she returned to the political stage in 2016, as many then-hopeful Republican
presidential candidates sought her endorsement. Palin's support eventually went to Donald Trump,
and the two joined each other on-stage for the announcement while in Iowa.
"I would like to bring up, if I might, Governor Sarah Palin. Special, special person."
Palin said during her impassioned announcement:
"Looking around at all of you, you hardworking Iowa families,
you farm families and teachers and teamsters and cops and cooks, you rock and rollers and
holy rollers! You all make the world go around and now our cause is one."
During her stop in Iowa, Palin went on to say that she was "proud to endorse" Trump,
and the candidate went on to sing her praises, too. Describing her as an "amazing" and
"special" person, Trump said that he wanted her support from the moment he hit the trail:
"This is a woman that, from Day 1, I said, 'If I ever do this, I have to get her support.'"
"Heads are spinning. Media heads are spinning."
Sarah Palin found herself once
again in the headlines in 2019, as her husband of 31 years, Todd Palin, filed for divorce.
Todd claimed "incompatibility of temperament" as the reason for the legal separation,
noting that they found it "impossible to continue" living together as a married couple.
The news came as a shock to Sarah, who found out about Todd's decision via an attorney.
By July 2020, the divorce between Sarah and Todd Palin had been finalized, and the former married
couple settled their case in a non-contested hearing. Todd sought joint custody of the
couple's youngest son, Trig Palin, and requested that their assets be split equally. Other details
of their settlement were not released to the public, but it was noted that neither
Sarah nor Todd demanded child support. Since then, Sarah has kept a relatively low profile,
but as of March 2022, she is said to be dating retired NHL player Ron Duguay.
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