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 pollock as food rinsing of rice) to make a clear soup, "bugeo-guk". Dried Alaska pollock head, referred to as "bugeo-daegari", is a common broth ingredient in Korean cuisine. Other dishes made from "bugeo" include "bugeo-jeok" (skewered), "bugeo-jangajji" (pickled), "bugeo-jeon" (pan-fried), and "bugeo-jorim" (simmered). A dish called "bugeo-bopuragi", literally "bugeo lint", is made by grating well-dried Alaska pollock into "lint" and seasoning it. "Bugeo" can be thinly sliced, seasoned and dried to make fish jerky, called "bugeo-po", which can be eaten plain or used as an ingredient in other side dishes. "Hwangtae" (), which is yellow Alaska pollock, is made by drying the fish