Sarah Louise Palin (/ˈpeɪlɨn/; née Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, and author who served as the ninth Governor of Alaska, from 2006 to her resignation in 2009. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 Presidential election, alongside Arizona Senator John McCain, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major political party, and the first Republican woman nominated for the Vice Presidency.