McCain picks Alaskan 'hockey mom' as No2

Published on Friday 29 August 2008 21:40

REPUBLICAN John McCain made a surprise choice of Sarah Palin, the Governor of Alaska, as his running mate yesterday, adding a political unknown to the ticket who could help him appeal to women voters.

Ms Palin, 44, a self-described "hockey mom," is a conservative first-term governor with strong anti-abortion views, a record of reform and fiscal conservatism and an outsider's perspective on Washington.

"She's exactly who I need. She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second," Mr McCain told a crowd of 15,000 supporters in Dayton, Ohio.

Ms Palin was chosen over more experienced and better- known contenders as Arizona senator Mr McCain grabbed the spotlight back from Barack Obama.

"I will be honoured to serve next to the next president of the United States," Ms Palin said, joined on stage by her husband and five children ranging in age from 18 years to five months.

"I've stood up to the old politics as usual," she said. "This is a moment when principle and political independence matter."

Ms Palin, former mayor of the town of Wasilla, is almost unknown nationally. That could hurt Mr McCain's argument that Mr Obama, a first-term senator, is too inexperienced to handle the White House.

But she could appeal to disaffected supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Mr McCain turned 72 yesterday and Ms Palin is an avid sportswoman who would bring youth and vitality to the ticket.

But Bill Burton, the Obama campaign spokesman, was dismissive: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.

"Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v Wade, the agenda of 'big oil' and George Bush's failed economic policies – that's not the change we need, that's just more of the same," he said. Roe v Wade was a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalised abortion.

Ms Palin has built a reputation as a reformer in a state that has been hit with corruption scandals. Elected in 2006, she is Alaska's first woman governor. She could be the first woman vice-president, adding another historic element to a presidential race filled with firsts.