Education: Palin attended Wasilla High School. In 1982 she enrolled at Hawaii Pacific College and left after one semester. She spent two semesters as a general studies major at North Idaho Community College. From there she transferred to the University of Idaho, then to Matanuska-Susitna Community College. She eventually returned to University of Idaho where she graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in communications-journalism in 1987. Professional Experience: Palin has experience as a sports reporter and worked for a while in her husband’s commercial fishing family business. Her political experience includes serving from 1992 to 1996 as Wasilla city councilwoman, Mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002 and as Governor of Alaska from 2006 to the present. Palin resigned as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2004 in protest of colleague corruption. Political Views: Palin joined the Republican Party in 1982. A staunch social conservative, she is firmly anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage, and favors overturning Roe v. Wade. She is a life-long NRA member and believes the Second Amendment protects handgun and semi-automatic assault weapon possession. Additionally, she supports capital punishment. Scandals: Palin has been embroiled in the “Troopergate” affair after firing Alaska Commissioner of Public Safety Walter Monegan in July. It was alleged that Palin fired Monegan because he refused to fire state trooper Michael Wooten, who went through a nasty divorce with Sarah Palin’s sister in 2005. The Branchflower Report found Palin violated the Executive Ethics Act by using her powers as governor to pull for Wooten’s termination.. Her attorneys called the Report “a partisan document” and accused Branchflower and Project Director, Alaska State Senator Hollis French, of “trying to smear the Governor by innuendo.”
