On August 29, 2008, Presidential nominee John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. Governor Palin marked the first female to run on the Republican ticket, and if she was elected, would have become the first female Vice President of the United States. The 44 year old mother of 5 was elected as Alaska’s governor in 2006, and became the first woman and youngest person to become governor of the state. Prior to her position, Palin was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska from 1996 to 2002, and the Ethics Supervisor of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004.

Mrs.Palin describes herself as a social conservative and believes the platform of the Republican Party is "the right agenda for America.” Reportedly, Sarah Palin has a 90% approval rating as the governor of Alaska, and immediately following Palin's Vice Presidential candidacy announcement, support for the Republican ticket increased.

 According to media reports, Sarah Palin’s political views are as follows:

• Abortion: Palin is a staunch pro-life proponent, and does not support abortions even in rape and incest cases.
• Sexual Education: Governor Palin is supportive of abstinence promotion programs and has spoken out against “explicit sex-education programs” in schools.
• Gun Control: Mrs. Palin is a proponent of an individual’s right to bear arms.
• Marriage: Mrs. Palin is opposed to legally allowing same-sex marriages.
• War: Mrs. Palin supports the Bush administration’s mission and agenda in Iraq.

Sarah Palin’s actions as the governor of Alaska include:

• Promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Opposed listing the polar bear as an endangered species, stating that the federal listing could negatively impact energy development.
• Pushed to reduce the Alaskan construction budget by almost $2 billion, while advocating for increased federal funding for Alaskan construction projects.

On immigration issues:

• It is reported that Mrs. Palin does not support comprehensive immigration reform.
• As the Governor of Alaska, Palin restricted driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants by advocating for applicants to show proof of residency.
• Alaska currently has a policy that forbids state agencies from using state funding to enforce federal immigration laws. This policy was in place before Palin took office as governor. It is not clear if Mrs. Palin supports this policy.
• Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska are listed among immigration “sanctuary cities,” where a “don’t ask, don’t tell” discourse is in place regarding immigration status. Govenor Palin has not released any statements regarding this.

On November 4, 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama and his vice-presidential running mate, Joseph Biden, defeated John McCain and Sarah Palin. Barack Obama and Joe Biden were sworn in as President and Vice President on January 20,2009, respectively.