Craig Campbell (politician) December 2010, after having withdrawn from the Republican primary race for lieutenant governor, which was eventually won by Mead Treadwell. Before serving as lieutenant governor, Campbell was the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. In that role, he was head of the state's National Guard, with the rank of Lieutenant General. On July 3, 2009, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin announced that she would resign effective July 26. Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell would become governor, and Campbell would replace Parnell as lieutenant governor. In 2010, Campbell opted to not seek election as lieutenant governor, preferring to return
Governor (United States) Palin was inaugurated as the first female governor of Alaska, and January 14, 2008, when Kathleen Blanco left office as governor of Louisiana; and second, between January 10, 2009, when Beverly Perdue was inaugurated as governor of North Carolina, and January 20, 2009, when Ruth Ann Minner retired as governor of Delaware. There are currently 46 state governors who are non-Hispanic whites of European American background. There are 4 minority governors: Susana Martinez of New Mexico and Brian Sandoval of Nevada, who are Hispanic Americans; Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, who is of Palestinian descent; and David Ige of Hawaii,