Sarah Palin burst onto the national stage in 2008 when John McCain chose the little-known Alaska governor as his running mate. With her folksy confidence and outsider appeal, she became impossible to ignore—then gradually stepped back into a life shaped more by personal upheaval than politics.
Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and raised in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin was a standout athlete in high school, especially in basketball. She met her future husband, Todd, at a game, and in 1988 the young couple eloped at a courthouse, recruiting witnesses from a nearby retirement home because they couldn’t afford a wedding.
They built a large family—five children—and a life deeply rooted in Alaska. Palin worked in journalism, helped with the family fishing business, and entered politics, becoming Alaska’s youngest and first female governor in 2006.
Todd Palin, often called the “First Dude,” stayed largely out of the spotlight. A competitive snowmobile racer and oil-field worker, he took on more parenting duties as Palin’s political career and public scrutiny intensified during the 2008 campaign.
Though their marriage appeared strong publicly, it unraveled privately. In 2019, after more than three decades together, Todd filed for divorce. Palin later said she learned of it through an attorney’s email and was deeply shocked by the decision.
The divorce was finalized in March 2020. Since then, Palin has said contact with Todd is limited, mainly focused on co-parenting their youngest child. Todd has since moved on with a new partner.
Palin later reconnected with longtime friend Ron Duguay, a former professional hockey player. Their relationship grew gradually, and he has supported her during her return to political campaigning.
Despite public heartbreak and setbacks, Palin continues to press forward. Her story reflects a life lived lou
Sarah Palin was impossible to miss in 2008, when John McCain plucked the little-known Alaska governor onto the national stage. A “force of nature,” she blended folksy confidence with a scrappy underdog appeal—then stepped back into a life that, in recent years, made headlines more for heartbreak than politics.
Born in Sandpoint, Idaho, and raised in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin was a standout at Wasilla High—“life-changing,” she once said of basketball—before meeting her future husband, Todd, at a game. In 1988, the high-school sweethearts eloped at the courthouse, recruiting two witnesses from the retirement home across the street because they couldn’t afford a wedding. They built a big family—Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig—and a life rooted in Alaska’s rough-and-ready rhythm. She reported the news, helped run the family’s commercial fishing business, then leapt into politics, becoming Alaska’s youngest—and first female—governor in 2006.
Todd, the self-styled “First Dude,” kept his head down despite the glare. A champion of the grueling Iron Dog snowmobile race, he juggled oil-field work with parenting as Palin’s career soared. When McCain tapped her for the 2008 ticket, Todd stepped in even more at home, especially as the family weathered public scrutiny—like Bristol’s teenage pregnancy—under an unforgiving national spotlight.
From the outside, their three-decade marriage looked unshakeable. Inside, it was more complicated. In 2019, just after their 31st anniversary, Palin learned via an attorney’s email that Todd was filing for divorce—news she said felt like being “shot.” He cited incompatibility; she wanted to fight for counseling and keep the covenant she believed marriage to be. Their divorce was finalized on March 23, 2020.
The split left scars. Palin has said the shock still stings, and that she and Todd now keep contact minimal, coordinating primarily for their youngest, Trig. Todd has moved on with a partner based in the Lower 48. Palin, too, found unexpected comfort with someone who’d long been a friend: former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay. What began as a favor—showing her around New York—grew into a relationship she describes as “safe and comfortable.” He’s since backed her politically as she re-entered the arena, running for Alaska’s at-large congressional seat.
It’s not easy to rebuild when a marriage ends in the public eye, especially with five children and seven grandchildren watching. But Palin is doing what she’s always done: shouldering forward. From a courtship sealed by two borrowed witnesses to the national ticket and back to the long winters of Wasilla, she’s lived loudly, stumbled publicly, and kept going—now with a new partner at her side, and a familiar fight still in her voice.
