October 3, 2009
Posted: October 3rd, 2009 02:51 PM ET

From
Todd Palin quit his job in the oil fields.
Todd Palin quit his job in the oil fields.

WASHINGTON (CNN)– The 'First Dude' of Alaska will no longer be working in the oil fields.

The Alaska Dispatch reports Todd Palin has quit his job with BP’s North Slope operation. The newspaper quotes BP Company spokesman Steve Rinehart as saying Palin submitted his resignation last month and officially resigned September 18.

As a production operator, Todd Palin was responsible for management of the oil gathering centers, where oil is gathered from multiple wells.

BP PLC is one of the largest energy companies in the world.

Todd Palin, the "First Dude" to former Governor Sarah Palin, shot to national fame along with his wife when she was named Republican vice presidential nominee. He also professionally races snowmobiles (known in Alaska as “snowmachines) and is a commercial fisherman.

News of his resignation comes about two months after Sarah Palin's resignation from office on July 26.

Filed under: Popular Posts • Todd Palin


May 9, 2009
Posted: May 9th, 2009 09:35 AM ET

From
Todd Palin will take his wife's spot this weekend in DC.
Todd Palin will take his wife's spot this weekend in DC.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Todd Palin, the husband of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will fill in for the former Republican vice presidential candidate this weekend at a series of high profile events, a Palin spokesperson confirms to CNN.

Palin, also known as Alaska's "first dude," will take his wife's spot Saturday at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the annual Washington event that draws a guest list of prominent journalists and Hollywood celebrities.

He will also appear at a Republican Governor's Association dinner Friday night, an event his wife was set to co-host as a thank you to donors who had contributed at least $25,000 to the organization.

The Alaska governor decided Thursday not to travel to Washington after declaring a state of emergency in Eagle, Alaska in the wake of record flooding.

Filed under: Popular Posts • Todd Palin


May 6, 2009
Posted: May 6th, 2009 10:56 AM ET

From
Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were thrust into the national spotlight last September when Gov. Sarah Palin revealed that the unmarried teens were expecting a baby.
Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston were thrust into the national spotlight last September when Gov. Sarah Palin revealed that the unmarried teens were expecting a baby.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Teen mom Bristol Palin had a simple message for teens on Wednesday, the 8th Annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

The daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin – the 2008 vice presidential nominee – said in an interview on NBC's Today Show that she wanted other teens to "learn from my example."

"If you're going to have sex, I think you should have safe sex," the unwed, teenage mother said as she held her infant son, Tripp. "And, regardless of what I did or anything like that, I think that abstinence is the only 100 percent foolproof way of preventing teen pregnancy."

Her father, Todd, acknowledged that his daughter was negotiating difficult territory as she holds herself out as an increasingly public advocate for the cause of preventing teen pregnancy.

"It's kind of a fine line that we're definitely walking on," he said when asked whether the governor's daughter could both advocate for teens to abstain and encourage practicing safe sex.

The young mother did have one topic she was not willing to discuss in detail – her increasingly strained relationship with Levi Johnston, Tripp's father.
Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Bristol Palin • Levi Johnston • Sarah Palin • Todd Palin


April 1, 2009
Posted: April 1st, 2009 04:37 PM ET

From
McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin campaigning in Washington, Pennsylvania.
McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin campaigning in Washington, Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Todd Palin, the normally reticent husband of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, isn't hung up on the ups-and-downs of the 2008 presidential campaign.

He'd rather spend his time snowmobiling than politicking, according to a profile of the so-called 'First Dude' in the upcoming issue of Men's Journal.

But in an interview with the magazine conducted a few weeks before the 2009 Tesoro Iron Dog race - in which he ended up finishing in sixth - Palin did manage to offer up a few reflections on his wife's vice presidential bid.

For instance, his take on the anonymous sniping from McCain staffers in the final weeks of the campaign:

"I'm not going to get wrapped around the axles on a few people's comments - 'She's a diva,' or whatever," Palin said. "There was no name attached to that, so who knows if it's really true. I mean, all the little negative stuff out there that's been exploited? To me? I have nothing but respect for the McCains, because they're a class act."

As for Sarah Palin's detractors in Alaska, Todd said "they get bent out of shape."

"They're so full of anger, you know?," he said. "I mean, why wouldn't anybody be proud of one of their citizens being nominated to the VP? Unless you're just a real hater?"

The magazine said Palin became slightly defensive when asked about the RNC-financed $150,000 wardrobe provided to his wife during the campaign, a PR fiasco that undermined her image as an "average hockey mom."

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: John McCain • Sarah Palin • Todd Palin


October 29, 2008
Posted: October 29th, 2008 01:13 PM ET

From

(CNN)– Weeks after Todd Palin hit the campaign trail solo in Maine, stumping for the Republican presidential ticket, the husband of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, is being featured in a campaign mailing there.

In the mailing, paid for and authorized by Maine’s Republican Party, Alaska's First Dude — a four-time Iron Dog Snowmobile Champion — tells rural voters Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's "extreme environmental policies" could have a major impact on snowmobilers.

"Could this be the last winter to ride in our National Parks? This election will decide," the ad warns.

The mailing also hits the Sierra Club, an endorser of the Illinois senator, for its position against snowmobiles in national parks. The environmental organization argues snowmobiles are "loud and obnoxious" and pollute the environment.

"John McCain and Sarah Palin have long been advocates to protect our environment with practical standards—allowing Americans to continue enjoying outdoor recreational activities," the flier declares.

If the Republicans win the presiential race, "Snowmobiles will have a strong voice in the White House," says the mailing.

Filed under: Todd Palin


October 6, 2008
Posted: October 6th, 2008 07:00 PM ET
Todd Palin agreed to answer written questions in the trooper probe .
Todd Palin agreed to answer written questions in the trooper probe .

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband has agreed to answer written questions in the state Legislature's investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner, campaign officials said Monday.

Todd Palin has been resisting a subpoena by lawmakers for since mid-September. But with the Legislature's report on the matter due Friday, Palin has agreed to answer written questions submitted through his lawyer, McCain-Palin campaign spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said.

The questions were submitted to Palin lawyer Thomas Van Flein on Monday and are expected to be returned by Wednesday, Stapleton said.

Filed under: Sarah Palin • Todd Palin


September 12, 2008
Posted: September 12th, 2008 04:00 PM ET
Todd Palin sat with his wife, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, during the final night of the Republican convention.
Todd Palin sat with his wife, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, during the final night of the Republican convention.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) - A special counsel has asked Alaskan lawmakers to subpoena Gov. Sarah Palin's husband and a dozen aides as part of the investigation into Palin's firing of her public safety commissioner.

Todd Palin has been a "principal critic" of his wife's ex-brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten, and had "many contacts" with Department of Public Safety officials about his status, said Steve Branchflower, the former prosecutor hired by the state Legislature to investigate the firing.

Sarah Palin, now the Republican nominee for vice president, is battling allegations that she and her advisers pressured then-Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire Wooten - and that Monegan was canned when he refused.

Palin has said she fired Monegan over budget issues and denies any wrongdoing.

Full story

Filed under: Sarah Palin • Todd Palin


September 4, 2008
Posted: September 4th, 2008 03:39 PM ET

From
Todd Palin is known as the 'first dude' in Alaska.
Todd Palin is known as the 'first dude' in Alaska.

(CNN) – As the newly minted Republican ticket gets set to tour key campaign states immediately following the end of the party’s convention, Sarah Palin's husband Todd is staying behind in Minneapolis for what's reputed to be the largest snowmobile event in the word.

Palin, a world renowned championship snowmobiler known as the "first dude" in Alaska, is set to attend "Hay Days" in lieu of hitting the campaign trail, senior McCain campaign aides told CNN. "Hay Days" is a snowmobile grass drag racing event that is billed as the unofficial kick-off of the snowmobile season.

Watch: Meet the 'first dude'

The aides didn't say whether Palin was participating in the event.

The race attracts the "fastest and most sophisticated iron in the world," according to the event's Web site. "The track has come from one that was full of bumps, to a groomed strip with cyclone fence and an underground sprinkler system which keeps the track in beautiful condition."

Palin, 43, is a four-time winner of the world's longest snowmobile race - the 2,000 mile Tesoro Iron Dog contest, that winds through Alaska's rugged terrain and is dubbed the "Iron Dog Iditarod."

Filed under: Sarah Palin • Todd Palin


September 1, 2008
Posted: September 1st, 2008 02:30 PM ET
McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin campaigning in Washington, Pennsylvania.
McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin campaigning in Washington, Pennsylvania.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) - A senior adviser to the McCain campaign confirmed Monday that Todd Palin, husband to Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, was arrested for driving while intoxicated in 1984.

"Yes, 24 years ago he had a DWI," senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt told reporters in St. Paul.

Schmidt was asked if he was worried about the news, and replied, “I was not.”

The story was first reported by David Brody, a CNN contributor and Christian Broadcasting Network News Senior National Correspondent.

Filed under: Sarah Palin • Todd Palin



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