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
Joshua Wright (Alaska politician) 1969 and 1972, and served a nearly concurrent term on the Alaska House of Representatives from 1970 to 1972. He retired from dentistry in 2013, and died on November 2, 2017, aged 88. Joshua Wright (Alaska politician) Joshua J. Wright II (August 6, 1929 – November 2, 2017) was a dentist and politician in the United States who served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives between 1970 and 1972. Born in Georgetown, South Carolina on August 6, 1929 to Joshua and Louise Wright, he attended Howard University where he studied zoology, chemistry, and later, dentistry. By 1956,