Now that Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter has celebrated her 18th birthday, the GOP vice-presidential candidate says she's hoping Bristol and fiancé Levi Johnston - who are expecting a baby in December - will tie the knot well before the date next summer the young couple had been eyeing.
"Hopefully before that," Sarah Palin tells PEOPLE in an Oct. 15 interview for the issue on newsstands this Friday. "Bristol turns 18 in a few days [Oct. 18]. That's what we wanted her to wait for: 18, and a decision on her own about how she's going to go forward, her and Levi, at this point."
Taking a break between campaign speeches in New Hampshire, Palin and her husband, Todd, both 44, spoke about Bristol, Tina Fey and sex ed. They also responded to PEOPLE readers' questions about politics, life with five kids - ages 6 months to 19 years - and what's next for the Alaska governor, win or lose: