Sarah Palin

When Sarah Palin, as the governor of Alaska, jumped into the spotlight as the running mate of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, pretty much nobody had heard of her outside the state. But the firebrand was quick to change all that with her “homey” style of talking and quick-witted zingers. Thanks to the marvels of technology, Palin’s time as a sports broadcaster is forever etched into the annuls of history. She was also a beauty pageant winner and finished third in the Miss Alaska pageant in 1984.