Politics of Alaska best performance, with a net gain of 7.5 percentage points. In 2008, Governor Sarah Palin became the first Republican woman to run on a national ticket when she became John McCain's running mate. She continued to be a prominent national figure even after resigning from the governor's job in July 2009. Politics of Alaska Political party strength in Alaska has varied over the years. The communities of Juneau, Sitka, downtown and midtown Anchorage, the areas surrounding the College/University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and Ester and the "Alaska Bush" – rural, sparsely populated Alaska – stand out as Democratic strongholds, while
Alaska Wild the Grizzlies. On the field, the Alaska Wild was off to their best start, going into their seventh game with a 4–2 record. On May 8, 2008 David W Weatherholt sold his 90% share of APS to Dr. Randy Deeter. The Team record under Weatherolt's guidance was 6-14 while Deeter had a 1-22 record. In February 2009, Coach Deemer resigned and was replaced by Floyd Johnson (0–8), the third head coach of the Alaska Wild. New team owner Deeter replaced Johnson after eight games with Sonny Rodriguez (0–6) the fourth head coach. The Alaska Wild finished its third season with