Governorship of Sarah Palin December 4, 2006, and maintained a high approval rating throughout her term. On July 3, 2009, Sarah Palin announced her resignation as governor of Alaska. She stepped down on July 26, 2009, being replaced by Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. Palin had championed ethics reform throughout her election campaign. Her first legislative action after taking office was to push for a bipartisan ethics reform bill. She signed the resulting legislation in July 2007, calling it a "first step" declaring that she remains determined to clean up Alaska politics. However, Palin was also the subject of an ethics probe concerning her brother-in-law,
Bill Walker (American politician) with semen a sex crime. Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott resigned on October 16, 2018, citing "inappropriate comments," which he and Walker did not detail. A new lieutenant governor, Alaska Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Davidson, was sworn in replace Mallott. Three days later, Walker announced that he was suspending his campaign, and endorsed the Democratic candidate, Mark Begich, for governor. Before becoming governor and moving to Juneau, Walker and his wife Donna resided in Anchorage. As of 2017, the couple had two sons, two daughters, and five grandchildren. He enjoys fishing, downhill skiing, snow-machining, boating, camping, and taking his