McCain picks female governor as running mate

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain named the youngest and first female governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his running mate today.

In an election which will be about change, so-called “hockey mum” Ms Palin is virtually unknown outside Alaska, where she has a reputation for government reform and an approval rating higher than 80%.

The 44-year-old former runner-up of the 1984 Miss Alaska beauty pageant will be the second female vice-presidential nominee of a major party, following Geraldine Ferraro as Democratic nominee in 1984.

Democratic nominee Barack Obama is making an aggressive play for the traditional Republican stronghold of Alaska and its three electoral votes, and polls show the race is close.

Whoever wins, America will either have its first black president or its first female vice president in history.

At a raucous rally in the swing state of Ohio, Mr McCain said he made his pick after looking for a political partner “who can best help me shake up Washington and make it start working again for the people who are counting on us”.

He said Ms Palin was “exactly who I need” and “exactly who this country needs to help us fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second”.

The decision to pick a woman for his ticket may help Mr McCain attract some of Hillary Clinton’s former supporters who have been disillusioned with the Democrats after a prolonged and often-bitter primary election battle against Mr Obama.

To huge cheers, Ms Palin said she wanted to honour the former first lady who had shown “such determination and grace in her presidential campaign”.

“But it turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all,” she said.

“If you want change in Washington, if you hope for a better America, then we’re asking for your votes on the fourth of November.”