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Sarah Palin: Her Highs and Lows

Love her or hate her, will whatever the controversial politician do next fascinate us? You betcha! (19 Photos)

Brian Braiker on Aug 20, 2009 at 12:10PM

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Eric Engman/Getty Images

Exit, Stage Right?

On July 3, 2009, Palin stunned fans and foes alike when she announced that she would not run for re-election as governor of Alaska in 2010 -- and would resign before the end of the month. She complained that she had been spending an "insane" amount of time and money to address "frivolous" ethics complaints filed against her. The oddly abrupt nature of her departure did little to quell rumors of a 2012 presidential bid ... or an impending marital scandal ... or an effort to carve out time for her lucrative book deal.