Enlarge By Robert DeBerry, Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, via AP Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hugs Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday after she announced stepping down. Parnell will take her seat July 26. EVENTS IN PALIN'S POLITICAL CAREER EVENTS IN PALIN'S POLITICAL CAREER December 2006 - Gov. Sarah Palin , a former mayor of Wasilla City, Alaska, becomes governor of her state after defeating an incumbent governor of her own party in the primary and then beating a former governor in the general election. August 2008 - John McCain picks Palin as his vice presidential running mate in a startling selection that makes the Alaska governor the first woman named to a spot on a Republican national ticket. September 2008 - An announcement that Palin's then 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant creates a stir as the governor prepares to accept her nomination at the Republican National Convention. October 2008 - Palin is investigated for the firing of a public safety commissioner who said he felt pressure from the governor, her husband and her staff to fire a state trooper who had gone through a divorce from Palin's sister. The Alaska Legislature finds Palin abused her power in office, but a report released by the Alaska Personnel Board on the eve of the election clears Palin of wrongdoing. November 2008 - McCain and Palin lose the 2008 presidential race . June 2009 - Palin blasts comedian David Letterman for making a joke about her daughter getting "knocked up" by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. Letterman apologizes. July 2009 - Palin makes a surprise announcement, saying she is resigning from her post as governor at the end of the month. The Associated Press Sarah Palin has no intention of retiring from public life, the soon-to-be ex-Alaska governor's spokeswoman said Sunday, but top Republicans are expressing befuddlement at the decision by one of the party's leading presidential prospects to give up her job. "It's astounding," Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican said on CBS' Face the Nation. Grassley, whose state holds the crucial first contest of the presidential campaign, said he would welcome a Palin presidential candidacy but thought it might now be harder to launch. "I would think, if you want to run for president — and I'm not sure that's got anything to do with what she's doing — that the forum of a governorship would be a better forum than just being a private citizen," Grassley said. Meghan Stapleton, the governor's communications director, told USA TODAY in a phone interview that she expects Palin to remain active as a speaker and campaigner. "I am listening to options for her," she said. Palin's also working to complete memoirs due out next spring. "She doesn't have a next step decided yet," Stapleton said. "We will just have to wait for history." Palin, who last year became the Republican Party's first female vice presidential nominee, announced plans to step aside as governor at a hastily organized holiday news conference Friday, citing the toll that her national notoriety has taken on her state, her family and her finances. But in a Facebook posting the next day, Palin said she wants to "help our nation achieve greatness" by advancing a platform of energy independence, smaller government and enhanced national security. Over the weekend, Palin moved aggressively to squelch rumors that her surprise decision might have darker motivations. She posted links on her Twitter account to a Los Angeles Times article quoting FBI officials saying that she is not under investigation. Her lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, threatened legal action against reporters and bloggers who suggest any wrongdoing by Palin or her husband, Todd. Last year's Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, issued a statement expressing "the greatest respect and affection" for his former running mate, and a hope that "she will continue to play an important leadership role in the Republican Party." Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said he'll seek Palin's help this fall for GOP gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey. Other party leaders were not so enthused. Karl Rove, former political adviser to President George W. Bush, said on Fox News Sunday that he and other GOP strategists are "perplexed" by Palin's bombshell. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, another potential 2012 Republican presidential contender, called Palin's strategy "risky." Even so, SarahPAC, Palin's political action committee, enjoyed a surge of contributions after the governor's announcement, Stapleton said. Her decision caught many members of her own party flat-footed. "I didn't find out until a newspaper called," said state Rep. Wes Keller, a Palin ally. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski— whose father, former Alaska governor Frank Murkowski, lost the GOP primary to Palin in 2006 — accused Palin of having "decided to abandon the state and her constituents." Palin's resignation becomes official July 26. She will be succeeded by Alaska's lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, a Republican. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. 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