ʃiː bɪkˌeɪm fˈɜːst lˈeɪdi ˌɔn mˈeɪ twˈɛnti sˈɪks, tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪks, wˌɛn hɜː hˈʌsbənd səksˈiːdᵻd fˈɔːɹmɚ ɡˈʌvɚnɚ, dˈɜːk kˈɛmpθoːɹn, hˌuː ɹɪzˈaɪnd tə bɪkˌʌm juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts sˈɛkɹətɹi ʌvðɪ ɪntˈɪɹiɚ.
She became first lady on May 26, 2006, when her husband succeeded former governor, Dirk Kempthorne, who resigned to become United States Secretary of the Interior.