'First Dude' Todd Palin Illustrates Alaska's Blend of Private and Public

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Todd Palin Through the Years

An in-depth look at Todd Palin, husband of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

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Todd Palin told Fox News that son Track, 19, is now in the Army, and that Bristol, 17, whose pregnancy was recently made public, "is not high-maintenance." He did not talk about the couple's younger children. Toni Pruski, 17, a classmate of Bristol's, said Todd Palin has always been an involved father and "a normal, everyday, family-type dad."

Criticism also has come from some Native Alaskans, who question why Gov. Palin, married to a man with Native ancestry, has kept up legal battles with Native Alaskans over fishing and hunting rights.

Evon Peter, head of the activist group Native Movement and a former chief of the Neetsaii Gwich'in tribe, said, "If she is truly honored that her husband has Native ancestry, she would not be attacking Native Alaskans."

Criticism of the Palins often brings a personal response. Longtime Sarah Palin supporter Bud Knox, a gun dealer and retired plumbing business owner, wrote a letter to the Anchorage newspaper noting that while he and the governor are "close friends," he was concerned by her husband's prominence. "I did not vote for Todd. So keep quiet; I don't need to hear from you," he said.

In short order, the phone rang. It was the governor, calling to respond. "In Alaska, that's the way it works," he said. "Politics doesn't stop at the front door of your house. It goes outside and can go anywhere."

Staff writer James V. Grimaldi contributed to this report.