Sarah Palin
Governor of Alaska
Age: 44

Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, Sarah Palin and her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant. She was elected Alaska's 11th governor in 2006, making her the first female governor and the youngest governor in the state's history.

Palin earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho, where she minored in politics. She moved back to her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, where she became a two-term mayor from 1992-96.

In 2002, Palin finished second in a four-way race to become lieutenant governor. Frank Murkowski won the gubernatorial race that year and gave up his long-held Senate seat mid-term, which Palin interviewed to fill.

Palin was appointed by Murkowski as the ethics commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission, where she served from 2003 to 2004 before resigning over what she called the "lack of ethics" on the part of the state's Republican leaders.

Palin defeated Murkowski in the Republican primary for governor in 2006, and then defeated her Democratic opponent, former Gov. Tony Knowles, by 17,000 votes in the general election.

Palin and her husband, Todd, have five children. Their oldest joined the Army last year and their youngest was born in April 2008. In her spare time, Palin enjoys hunting and fishing, and is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.