Sean R. Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American politician. Parnell, a Republican, succeeded to the office of Governor of Alaska in 2009 when Governor Sarah Palin resigned. Parnell was sworn into office on July 26, 2009. He served as the tenth Governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014. Parnell was elected Governor of Alaska in his own right in 2010 by 59.06% of the vote -- the largest percentage margin of any Alaska governor since statehood.