Sarah Palin's husband hospitalized in intensive care after snowmobile accident

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin canceled a campaign event for Republican front-runner Donald Trump Monday after her husband was hospitalized in intensive care following a snowmobile accident in Alaska, the Trump campaign and a Palin aide said.

Palin, who has endorsed the Republican candidate, was scheduled to campaign for Trump in The Villages, Florida.

"Todd Palin was in a bad snow machine accident last night and is currently hospitalized," Trump's campaign said, referring to the vehicle also known as a snowmobile.

"Governor Palin is returning to Alaska to be with her husband and looks forward to being back on the campaign trail soon. Mr. Trump's thoughts and prayers are with the Palin family at this time."

Todd Palin was hospitalized in intensive care, a Palin aide said, adding that the former Alaska governor had been on the phone with doctors and family members all morning.

Palin, Republican John McCain's running-mate in the 2008 presidential election won by Democrat Barack Obama, held a separate campaign rally for Trump in Florida on Sunday.

She had booked flights back to Alaska from Tampa, though she planned to stop at a scheduled town hall-style campaign event for Trump on the way to the airport, and would not travel to The Villages or Ohio as earlier planned, her aide said.

Todd Palin is a veteran participant in Alaska's 2,000-mile Iron Dog race involving snowmobiles that takes place each February, according to the race's web site. The contest features about 40 two-man teams. Palin has been on a winning tandem three times, most recently in 2007, race organizers said.

(Reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau, Alaska; Additional reporting by Washington newsroom, Steve Holland in Tampa, Florida; Writing by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Eric Walsh, Bernadette Baum and Sharon Bernstein)