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
Wesly Simina Wesly Simina Wesly W. Simina (born 1961) is a Micronesian politician. He has served as the Governor of Chuuk State, one of the four states that constitute the Federated States of Micronesia, since July 1, 2005. Simina was re-elected to a second term as Governor of Chuuk in a 2009 runoff election against Gillian N. Doone, the son of former Governor Gideon Doone. He and Lt. Governor Johnson Elimo were sworn into their second terms on July 2, 2009, in an inauguration ceremony held at the Saramen Chuuk Development Center at Saramen Chuuk High School in Weno, Chuuk. Simina resigned