Her husband, Todd Palin, is an Alaska native whose grandmother was raised in a traditional Yup'ik Eskimo house. Employed for two decades in the oil industry, Todd is a production operator, a member of the United Steelworkers, a commercial fisherman, and a four-time winner of the Iron Dog snowmachine race (along the famous Iditarod Trail.) His wife has been known to call him "first dude."
Sarah's political views are consistent with her conservative Christian beliefs. The mother of four when she became governor in 2006, in December 2007 she was pregnant with her fifth child when prenatal testing revealed Down syndrome.
A member of Feminists for Life, Sarah did not consider abortion. She gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin on April 18, 2008; Trig is Norse and means "true" and "brave victory," and Paxson is a region in Alaska the couple favors. (Van Palin is a nod to the rock group Van Halen.)
The other Palin children have equally unique names. Son Track (18) is in the Army and will deploy to Iraq. Daughters, Bristol (17), Willow (13) and Piper (7) are in public schools.
The Anchorage Daily News has called Sarah Palin "the Joan of Arc of Alaska politics" and " one of the most popular local politicians in America." Anchorage radio host Dan Fagan says, "She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts...she has a float plane," and in his opinion, "she's as Alaskan as you can get."
