Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

Republican Party

Prior offices

Mayor Wasilla Alaska

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Governor of Alaska

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Idaho, 1987

Personal

Birthplace

Sandpoint, Idaho

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal website

Personal YouTube

Sarah Palin (Republican Party) was the Governor of Alaska. She assumed office in 2006. She left office in 2009.

Palin (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Alaska's At-Large Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Palin also ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Alaska's At-Large Congressional District. She lost in the special general election on August 16, 2022.

Palin was the Republican vice presidential nominee for the 2008 United States presidential election. On August 29 of that year, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain announced that he had chosen Palin as his running mate. She was nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Palin was the second woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket and the first Republican woman to do so.

Palin's political career began when she served two terms on the Wasilla, Alaska, city council from 1992 to 1996. She later won two terms as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. After an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor of Alaska in 2002, she chaired the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from 2003 to 2004 while also serving as ethics supervisor of the commission.

In November 2006, Palin was elected governor of Alaska, becoming the first woman and youngest person to hold the office. She defeated incumbent Republican governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary and former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, receiving 48.3% of the vote.

Biography

Sarah Palin was born in Idaho and moved to Wasilla, Alaska, in 1964. She received a bachelor's degree in communications and journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. After college, she worked as a sports reporter for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska, as well as the Wasilla-based Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Palin served on the city council of Wasilla, Alaska, and then as the town's mayor. Palin worked as the chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, a governmental agency that says it aims to "protect the public interest in exploration and development of Alaska's valuable oil, gas, and geothermal resources." Palin was appointed to the commission by former Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) in 2003. She resigned in 2004, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.

From 2006 to 2009, Palin served as governor of Alaska until she was selected to be John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election. Palin later launched SarahPAC, a political action committee that was active in election cycles between 2010 and 2016.

Elections

2022

Regular election

See also: United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

Select round: Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mary Peltola in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	55.0	137,263	7,477	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	45.0	112,471	43,072	3
		Nicholas Begich	0.0	0	-64,499	3
		Chris Bye	0.0	0	0	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	49.2	129,786	1,031	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	26.3	69,399	1,069	3
		Nicholas Begich	24.5	64,499	1,994	3
		Chris Bye	0.0	0	-4,999	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	48.7	128,755	0	Won (3)
		Sarah Palin	25.8	68,330	0	3
		Nicholas Begich	23.6	62,505	0	3
		Chris Bye	1.9	4,999	0	2
		David Ambrose (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Joe Bredar (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 264,589
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Sherry Strizak (Independent)
• Tara Sweeney (R)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

The following candidates ran in the primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mary Peltola (D)	36.8	70,295
✔		Sarah Palin (R)	30.2	57,693
✔		Nicholas Begich (R)	26.2	50,021
✔		Tara Sweeney (R)	3.8	7,195
		Chris Bye (L)	0.6	1,189
		J.R. Myers (L)	0.3	531
		Robert Lyons (R)	0.2	447
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (R)	0.2	403
	Submit photo	Brad Snowden (R)	0.2	355
		Randy Purham (R)	0.2	311
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Independent)	0.1	270
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Independent)	0.1	252
		Robert Ornelas (American Independent Party)	0.1	248
	Submit photo	Denise Williams (R)	0.1	242
		Gregg Brelsford (Independent)	0.1	241
	Submit photo	David Hughes (Independent)	0.1	238
	Submit photo	Andrew Phelps (Independent)	0.1	222
	Submit photo	Tremayne Wilson (Independent)	0.1	194
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Independent)	0.1	191
	Submit photo	Silvio Pellegrini (Independent)	0.1	187
	Submit photo	Ted Heintz (Independent)	0.1	173
	Submit photo	Davis LeBlanc Jr. (R)	0.1	117

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 191,015
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tyler Cropley (Independent)
• Julio Perez (R)
• Don Young (R)
• Shannon Evans (R)
• Christopher Constant (D)
• Al Gross (Independent)
• Adam Wool (D)
• Mike Milligan (D)
• Mikel Melander (R)
• William Hibler (Independent)
• Jeff Lowenfels (Independent)
• John B. Coghill (R)
• Josh Revak (R)

Special election

Note: The state did not release vote totals for individual write-in candidates. Certified write-in candidates are listed below without vote totals.

See also: United States House of Representatives special election in Alaska, 2022

United States House of Representatives special election in Alaska, 2022 (June 11 top-four primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

Select round: Round 2 Round 1

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mary Peltola in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	51.5	91,266	15,467	Won (2)
		Sarah Palin	48.5	86,026	27,053	2
		Nicholas Begich	0.0	0	-53,810	1
		Chris Bye (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Tara Sweeney (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mary Peltola	40.2	75,799	0	Won (2)
		Sarah Palin	31.3	58,973	0	2
		Nicholas Begich	28.5	53,810	0	1
		Chris Bye (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Robert Ornelas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Sherry Strizak (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Tara Sweeney (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 188,582
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Al Gross (Independent)

Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District

The following candidates ran in the special primary for U.S. House Alaska At-large District on June 11, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Palin (R)	27.0	43,601
✔		Nicholas Begich (R)	19.1	30,861
✔		Al Gross (Independent)	12.6	20,392
✔		Mary Peltola (D)	10.1	16,265
		Tara Sweeney (R)	5.9	9,560
		Santa Claus (Independent)	4.7	7,625
		Christopher Constant (D)	3.9	6,224
		Jeff Lowenfels (Independent)	3.7	5,994
		John B. Coghill (R)	2.4	3,842
		Josh Revak (R)	2.3	3,785
	Submit photo	Andrew Halcro (Independent)	1.9	3,013
		Adam Wool (D)	1.7	2,730
	Submit photo	Emil Notti (D)	1.1	1,777
		Chris Bye (L)	0.6	1,049
	Submit photo	Mike Milligan (D)	0.4	608
		John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.2	380
	Submit photo	Laurel Foster (Independent)	0.2	338
		Stephen Wright (R)	0.2	332
	Submit photo	Jay Armstrong (R)	0.2	286
		J.R. Myers (L)	0.2	285
		Gregg Brelsford (Independent)	0.2	284
	Submit photo	Ernest Thomas (D)	0.1	199
		Robert Lyons (R)	0.1	197
	Submit photo	Otto Florschutz (R)	0.1	193
	Submit photo	Maxwell Sumner (R)	0.1	133
	Submit photo	Richard Trotter (R)	0.1	121
	Submit photo	Anne McCabe (Independent)	0.1	118
	Submit photo	John Callahan (R)	0.1	114
		Arlene Carle (Independent)	0.1	107
	Submit photo	Tim Beck (Independent)	0.1	96
	Submit photo	Thomas Gibbons (R)	0.1	94
	Submit photo	Sherry Mettler (Independent)	0.1	92
		Lady Donna Dutchess (Independent)	0.1	87
		Robert Ornelas (American Independent Party)	0.1	83
	Submit photo	Ted Heintz (L)	0.0	70
	Submit photo	Silvio Pellegrini (Independent)	0.0	70
	Submit photo	Karyn Griffin (Independent)	0.0	67
	Submit photo	David Hughes (Independent)	0.0	54
	Submit photo	Don Knight (Independent)	0.0	46
	Submit photo	Jo Woodward (R)	0.0	44
	Submit photo	Jason Williams (Independent)	0.0	37
	Submit photo	Robert Brown (Independent)	0.0	36
	Submit photo	Dennis Aguayo (Independent)	0.0	31
		William Hibler (Independent)	0.0	25
	Submit photo	Bradley Welter (R)	0.0	24
	Submit photo	David Thistle (Independent)	0.0	23
	Submit photo	Brian Beal (Independent)	0.0	19
	Submit photo	Mikel Melander (R)	0.0	17

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 161,428
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jesse Sumner (R)
• Breck Craig (Independent)
• Richard Morris (Independent)

2008

Palin was the running mate of John McCain (R) in the 2008 presidential election. They were defeated by Barack Obama (D) and Joe Biden (D).

U.S. presidential election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Barack Obama/Joe Biden	53%	69,498,516	365
	Republican	John McCain/Sarah Palin	45.7%	59,948,323	173
	Peace and Freedom	Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez	0.6%	739,034	0
	Libertarian	Bob Barr/Wayne Allyn Root	0.4%	523,715	0
	Constitution	Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle	0.2%	199,750	0
	Green	Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente	0.1%	161,797	0
Total Votes				131,071,135	538
Election results via: Archives.gov official election results

Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Alan Keyes, Ron Paul, Gloria La Riva, Brian Moore, Roger Calero, Richard Duncan, James Harris, Charles Jay, John Joseph Polachek, Frank Edward McEnulty, Jeffrey J. Wamboldt, Thomas Robert Stevens, Gene C. Amondson, Jeffrey Jeff Boss, George Phillies, Ted Weill, Jonathan E. Allen and Bradford Lyttle.

On August 29, 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain introduced Palin as his vice presidential candidate during a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio. During the vetting process, political analysts placed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty as the front-runners for the GOP vice presidential slot. Independent Democratic Sen. Joeseph Lieberman and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge were also believed to be serious contenders for the running-mate position.

Palin was considered to have similar policy positions to John McCain in some respects. One exception was drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which Palin supported and McCain had previously opposed. Palin supported aspects of Democratic nominee Barack Obama's energy plan related to encouraging further use of natural gas but opposed his plan to institute a windfall profit tax on oil companies.

Palin was the second U.S. woman to run on a major party ticket, after Geraldine Ferraro, the Democratic vice presidential nominee of former vice president Walter Mondale in 1984.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sarah Palin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Palin's campaign website stated the following:

“	Resource Development America can and must become energy independent – and that requires tapping Alaska’s vast reserves of natural resources. God gave us a tremendous bounty, and we must not let it go to waste. At a time when rising gas prices are straining the budgets of working families, the first and most important step the federal government should take is opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development. There are literally billions of barrels of oil just waiting for us to “drill, baby, drill.” Extracting oil from ANWR wouldn’t just help America achieve energy independence and bring down gas prices. It would also create a large number of good-paying jobs for hard working Alaskans. It’s a no-brainer. We also need to continue developing our infrastructure here in Alaska, building the highways, bridges, and ports that allow us to get our resources to market more efficiently. Improved infrastructure will create jobs right now while generating economic and quality-of-life benefits for generations to come. Jobs Self-sufficiency is core to our identity as Alaskans, and the most fundamental part of self-sufficiency is being able to earn a living and provide for our families. Unfortunately, our economy is in shambles – not because businesses aren't hiring or consumers aren’t buying, but because the federal government is standing in the way of growth. We need to end the government handouts to able-bodied Americans, cut through the red tape that entangles small business owners, and let the free market do what it does best – generate wealth for all Americans. Instead of begging other countries to raise their taxes with a global minimum corporate tax – which ultimately falls on the backs of consumers – we should be cutting taxes here in America. Instead of cutting off financing for oil producers, we should be encouraging them to increase production and create more good-paying jobs. Instead of creating more federal entitlements, we should be breaking down barriers to private sector job creation. Inflation Inflation is out of control, reaching its highest levels in 40 years. Reckless government spending and non-stop money printing are driving out-of-control inflation that is hurting hard working Alaskans. Prices are up everywhere, particularly at the gas pump and the grocery store, and the increased cost of goods and services is eating away at everyone's hard-earned savings. Real wages are down because inflation is going up faster than earnings. To get inflation under control, we need to rein in wasteful spending, implement pro-growth policies so supply can catch up with demand, and unleash domestic energy production. Trying to spend our way out of an inflationary cycle is an outdated, long-debunked approach – all you get is stagflation like we had in the 1970s, which makes everybody worse off. Life Every life is a precious gift from God, and that includes the lives of the unborn. As the Supreme Court considers landmark challenges to Roe v Wade, it’s more important than ever to ensure that abortion is never codified at the federal level. But that’s not enough. We must once again honor and enforce the Hyde Amendment as a guiding, bipartisan principle. No federal funds should ever be used to pay for or facilitate abortion, anywhere on Earth. We must also resist calls to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. There is never an acceptable excuse for deliberately taking a human life, and we must not allow our society to become complicit in such crimes. Seniors Alaskan seniors deserve a life of happiness and prosperity -- which is why it is crucial to ensure that our economy functions effectively for them. While economic stagnation impacts every American, it is especially harmful for seniors who rely on stable consumer prices and can’t afford dramatic increases in the cost of living. Inflation is a nightmare for seniors on a fixed income. The money that they painstakingly saved up for their retirement suddenly isn’t enough to cover basic necessities, and Social Security cost-of-living adjustments always trail behind price increases. The answer is to practice responsible fiscal policy to keep inflation low so that seniors can have confidence that their nest eggs will last them through their golden years. National Defense Alaska plays an extremely important role in America’s national defense strategy. We may be called the Last Frontier, but we are the first line of defense against America’s biggest geopolitical foes. Alaska’s strategic importance will only grow as competition heats up for access to natural resources in the Arctic. Thousands of Alaskans serve our country in uniform, and our state hosts nine military bases. We need to make sure those installations remain well-equipped. Veterans We must also continue to reform and improve the Veterans Administration. The men and women who serve our country in uniform deserve the best care we can offer. The scandalous treatment that our veterans received during the Obama administration – when veterans were literally dying while waiting for basic treatments – was a national disgrace that must never be repeated. The VA needs to operate efficiently and effectively, just like our soldiers do. Education A good education empowers our children to succeed later in life. I’m proud of the public school system in Alaska – my son, Trig, currently attends Wasilla Middle School – but I also recognize that parents need to play the primary role in their children’s education. Students should not be stuck in a failing public school simply because of their street address. We need meaningful school choice, including vouchers that parents can use to send their children to higher-performing schools. We also need to support charter schools, which break up the teachers’ union monopoly and allow us to empirically test and evaluate alternative approaches to education. This sort of experimentation is key to ensuring that our public schools continue to grow and evolve so that they can provide the best possible educational experience for all of Alaska’s children. Our schools should not be indoctrinating children in leftist ideologies. Especially when school boards ignore the best interests of students and the intent of parents, we must take action to preserve the innocence of all children. Protecting the Second Amendment The Second Amendment is under attack. For decades, the far left has chipped away at our right to bear arms, making it harder for average Americans to defend themselves and their families. This nationwide assault on the Second Amendment is especially harmful to Alaska, where firearms play an essential role in the daily lives of countless Alaskan households, hunters, and sportsmen. To protect the Second Amendment from further erosion, Alaska must be a vocal champion for firearm ownership. We should strive to reduce bureaucratic red tape designed to punish gun ownership and prevent politicians from nationalizing gun legislation. We should have the ultimate authority to decide what’s best for our state. The political elites in Washington DC will never fully cherish Alaskan values – which is why it is up to us to defend our constitutional rights and freedoms. National Debt Government debt is like an anchor around the neck of future generations. Our federal government currently spends over $500 billion per year just on interest on the money we’ve already borrowed, even with rock-bottom interest rates – continuing to borrow more money, year after year, is unsustainable and irresponsible. Borrowing money to pay for deficit spending sucks money out of the economy, costing us greatly in terms of current and future jobs and economic growth. We need to get our fiscal house in order – fast. We need to eliminate unnecessary spending in every category of the budget, but that’s only part of the solution. Ultimately, the only way to meaningfully address the debt crisis is to get entitlement spending under control. Instead of creating new entitlements, like the Democrats try to do every time they see an opportunity, we need to pare back our existing entitlements so there’s enough money for the people who truly need it. Congress also needs to enact and enforce strict spending limits, ideally through a Balanced Budget Amendment that would restrict federal spending to a responsible level below 20 percent of GDP.	”
—Sarah Palin's campaign website (2022)

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sarah Palin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Noteworthy events

Defamation lawsuit against the New York Times (2017-2025)

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This article contains a developing news story. Ballotpedia staff are checking for updates regularly. To inform us of new developments, email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

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On June 27, 2017, Palin filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. The lawsuit stated: "[O]n June 14, 2017, The Times Editorial Board, which represents the 'voice' of The Times, falsely stated as a matter of fact to millions of people that Mrs. Palin incited Jared Loughner’s January 8, 2011, shooting rampage at a political event in Tucson, Arizona, during which he shot nineteen people, severely wounding United States Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and killing six, including Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and a nine-year-old girl."

On April 22, 2025, a jury found the New York Times not liable for defamation.

The ABA Journal's Debra Cassens Weiss wrote in 2017:

“

The Times editorial, which was later corrected, said that Palin’s political action committee had circulated a map of targeted electoral districts before the 2011 shooting that placed 20 Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, under stylized crosshairs. Giffords was wounded in the 2011 attack. 'The link to political incitement was clear,' the original version of the editorial stated. The Times later issued a correction saying the crosshairs were placed over targeted electoral districts, not the politicians, and there was no established link between political rhetoric and the shooting six years ago. ... Palin’s suit claims the Times had previously published articles acknowledging no connection between Palin and the 2011 shooting. The complaint also takes the Times to task for issuing a correction that fails to use Palin’s name. The entire editorial should have been retracted, and Palin should have gotten an apology, the suit says.

”

The updated editorial can be found here.

U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff dismissed the lawsuit on August 29, 2017. On August 6, 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that Rakoff violated rules of procedure in dismissing the lawsuit and sent the case back to the district court.

The trial was held in February 2022. While jury deliberations were ongoing, Rakoff announced that he would dismiss the case, saying that Palin's suit didn't meet the actual malice standard: "I don’t think a reasonable juror could conclude that Mr. Bennet either knew the statements were false or that he thought the statements were false and he recklessly disregarded that high probability." Rakoff said, "I think this is an example of very unfortunate editorializing on the part of the Times but, having said that, that’s not the issue before this court."

According to Politico's Josh Gerstein, "Rakoff said he would continue to allow the jury to deliberate to a verdict, arguing that an appeal in the case seems inevitable and that the jury’s verdict could be useful to the appeals court." On February 15, 2022, the jury found the New York Times not liable.

On March 17, 2022, Palin filed a notice of appeal in the Second Circuit. Oral argument was held on November 6, 2023.

On August 28, 2024, a three-judge appellate panel—Senior Judges John Walker and Reena Raggi and Judge Richard Sullivan—sent the case back to the district court. Walker wrote:

“

Plaintiff Sarah Palin appeals the dismissal of her defamation complaint against defendant The New York Times ('the Times') and its former Opinion Editor, defendant James Bennet, for the second time. We first reinstated the case in August 2019 following an initial dismissal by the district court (Rakoff, J.) under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Palin’s claim was subsequently tried before a jury but, while the jury was deliberating, the district court dismissed the case again—this time under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50. We conclude that the district court’s Rule 50 ruling improperly intruded on the province of the jury by making credibility determinations, weighing evidence, and ignoring facts or inferences that a reasonable juror could plausibly have found to support Palin’s case. Despite the district court’s Rule 50 dismissal, the jury was allowed to reach a verdict, and it found the Times and Bennet 'not liable.' Unfortunately, several major issues at trial—specifically, the erroneous exclusion of evidence, an inaccurate jury instruction, a legally erroneous response to a mid-deliberation jury question, and jurors learning during deliberations of the district court’s Rule 50 dismissal ruling—impugn the reliability of that verdict. The jury is sacrosanct in our legal system, and we have a duty to protect its constitutional role, both by ensuring that the jury’s role is not usurped by judges and by making certain that juries are provided with relevant proffered evidence and properly instructed on the law. We therefore VACATE and REMAND for proceedings, including a new trial, consistent with this opinion.

”

On November 12, 2024, Rakoff set a jury trial date for April 14, 2025.

On April 22, 2025, the jury found the New York Times not liable for defamation. A spokesperson for the newspaper said, "The decision reaffirms an important tenet of American law: publishers are not liable for honest mistakes." As of April 22, Palin's lawyers had not issued a statement.

According to Reuters' Jonathan Stempel, "Media critics, and Palin herself, ... viewed the case as a possible vehicle to overturn New York Times v. Sullivan, the landmark 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision that set a high bar for public figures to prove defamation."

Resignation as governor (2009)

On July 3, 2009, Palin announced she would resign as Alaska's governor effective July 26.

Palin said the following in her resignation announcement:

“

Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law that I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months, I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations, such as holding a fish in a photograph or wearing a jacket with a logo on it and answering reporters' questions. Every one of these, though, all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We have won, but it hasn't been cheap. The state has wasted thousands of hours of your time and shelled out some 2 million of your dollars to respond to opposition research. And that's money that's not going to fund teachers or troopers or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the politics of personal destruction, Todd and I, we're looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills just in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn't cost them a dime, so they're not going to stop draining the public resources, spending other people's money in this game. They won't stop. It's pretty insane. My staff and I spend most of our day, we're dealing with this stuff instead of progressing our state now. And I know that I promised no more politics as usual, but this isn't what anyone had in mind for Alaska. ... So I choose for my state and for my family more freedom to progress all the way around so that Alaska may progress. I will not seek reelection as governor. And so, as I thought about this announcement, that I wouldn't run for reelection and what that means for Alaska, I thought about, well, how much fun some governors have as lame ducks. They maybe travel around their state and travel to other states, maybe take their overseas international trade missions. So many politicians do that. And then I thought, that's what's wrong. Many just accept that lame-duck status, and they hit the road, they draw a paycheck, they kind of milk it. And I'm not going to put Alaskans through that.

”

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) succeeded Palin as governor.

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Palin endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Palin and former her husband, Todd, have five children. Palin lives in Wasilla.

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Footnotes

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Alaska's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Lisa Murkowski (R)

Daniel Sullivan (R)

Representatives

Nicholas Begich (R)

Republican Party (3)