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
History of the Jews in Alaska in 1988. Jay Rabinowitz was a Justice on the Alaska Supreme Court for over thirty years, from 1965–1997, and was Chief Justice for 12 of those years. His tenure began during the first years of statehood when much of Alaska’s constitution was untested, and many of the over 1,200 opinions (along with 200 dissents) he wrote while on the court have defined the legal structure governing Alaska. The Rabinowitz Courthouse in Fairbanks is named in his honor. Avrum "Av" M. Gross served as the Alaska Attorney General from 1974–1980 while Jay Hammond was Governor, despite their differing personal politics. The