John McCain picks Alaska governor Sarah Palin as running mate
Updated on 29 August 2008
The republican presidential candidate picks a 44-year-old woman to run as his vice president.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska, as his running mate, according to US media reports.
In an election which will be about change, Palin has a reputation for government reform and an approval rating higher than 80 per cent.
She is younger than Democratic candidate Barack Obama and would be the second female vice-presidential nominee of a major party, following Geraldine Ferraro as Democratic nominee in 1984.
Senior campaign officials confirmed McCain's decision to US media outlets, including CNN and Fox News.
McCain, who will officially confirm his running mate at a rally in Ohio later today on his 72nd birthday, reportedly chose Palin as his vice presidential nominee yesterday, but the decision has been shrouded in secrecy.
It had been expected that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney or Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty would take the job.
McCain is preparing to accept his party's nomination for president at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, next week.
About McCain's number two:
Sarah Palin became the first female governor of Alsaka in December 2006.
The former beauty queen is a pro-life mother of five and holds a lifetime membership with the National Rifle Association. She also enjoys hunting and fishing.
She graduated with a BSc in communications-journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.
She is married to Todd Palin, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world's longest snowmachine race.
