ABSTRACT
In 2008, the McCain/Palin campaign frequently framed Sarah Palin as a ruggedly capable, outdoor-loving frontier woman. Given her life story and rise to leadership in America's self-proclaimed “Last Frontier” Alaska, it is not surprising that this narrative emerged as an important frame through which the Palin candidacy was presented. Visually the frame translated into photographs and videos of Palin hunting, shouldering firearms, sitting on couches with bear skins thrown over the back, or standing by the family seaplane wearing a parka and boots. Often, Palin dressed casually for these appearances, wearing denim work shirts and jeans. Speeches by and about Palin focused on her geographic roots and her life living in the West, on the frontier, and referenced a lifestyle grounded in these geographic realities. Hardly an article passed without some reference to Palin's home state of Alaska, while Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden's geographical “home” flew relatively low under the radar despite his own attempts to leverage it for political benefit.
