McCain Selects Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as VP Running Mate

Governor Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), GOP Presumptive VP Nominee

Senator John McCain announced today that he has chosen Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his vice presidential nominee. This will be the first time a woman has been on the GOP ticket and only the second time a woman has been on a major party ticket (Geraldine Ferarro was Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984. She is the current Governor of Alaska, and a member of the Republican Party. She is the first female governor of Alaska, its youngest (44) and is the first governor born after Alaska achieved statehood. Brought to statewide attention because of her whistleblowing on ethical violations by state Republican Party leaders, she won election in 2006 by first defeating the incumbent governor Governor Murkowski in the Republican primary, then a former Democratic Alaskan governor Tony Knowles in the general election. Palin is strongly pro-life and belongs to Feminists for Life. She opposes same-sex marriage. She had been touted as a possible running mate for McCain by such conservatives as Rush Limbaugh.  Palin is married, with five children, including an infant born with Down’s Syndrome this April. Details of her personal life have cotributed to her political image, she is an avid hunter and sports enthusiast, eats moose burgers, ice fishes, rides snowmobiles, and owns a float plane Palin holds a lifetime membership with the National Rifle Association. She admits that she used marijuana when it was legal in Alaska, but says that she did not like it. McCain’s choice of Palin is historic for the Republican party with its first woman on the ticket, yet Palin also bring solid conservative credentials which should assuage the uneasiness of the right that has dogged McCain throughout the campaign.