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
Keith Harvey Miller Keith Harvey Miller Keith Harvey Miller (born March 1, 1925) is an American Republican politician from Alaska. Miller was the second secretary of state of Alaska of Alaska under Walter Hickel. He became the third governor of Alaska after Hickel’s resignation. He served as Secretary of State of Alaska, as the state’s Lieutenant Governor was called until 1970, from 1966 until Hickel resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior under President Richard M. Nixon, on January 29, 1969. Under Governor Miller, Alaska completed the sale of land leases in Prudhoe Bay, which brought a windfall of $900 million.