Hawaii and Alaska

What an interesting election. The 2008 Presidential Election is going to go down in history as one of the most historic. Yes, Barack Obama is the first major party nominee who is an African-American. Yes, Sarah Palin is only the second major party candidate for Vice-President who is a woman.

However, what many are missing, is the fact that that both major parties have candidates on the presidential ticket from Hawaii and Alaska. The outside of the 48 states is well represented.

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Even though he represents Illinois now in the Senate, he would be the first Hawaiian resident to be elected President. Sarah Palin was born in Idaho in 1964. She moved to Alaska as an infant with her family. She would be the first Alaskan elected Vice-President.

Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. It will have taken one of these states only fifty years to get claim to a President or Vice-President. I think that shows how well both former territories have been integrated into the USA.