John McCain picks Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin as his VP

The Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, has pulled a fast one on his Democratic opponents, who spent much of the last 19 months arguing over whether they'd be the party to have a female on their 2008 presidential ticket.

The rumor is true. As The Ticket reported just before dawn this morning, minutes ago, McCain confirmed that his vice presidential running mate is Sarah Palin, the first female governor of Alaska and the first woman on a national GOP ticket.

And hear this: The 44-year-old Palin, a former city councilwoman, Alaskan mayor, star high school basketball player and beauty queen, is a Republican political maverick (does this sound familiar on a McCain ticket?).

She overthrew her own state party's corrupt establishment in 2005-06 to run without its support and win on a reform ticket against a Democratic former governor, Tony Knowles. See video below.

She's been enjoying statewide popularity ratings of 70% to 80%, not least for her down-to-earth touches, like selling the previous governor's jet plane to fly commercially and driving herself to work in the family Jetta. She's worked against government pork barrel projects; again, a familiar phrase.

Palin, the first Alaskan governor born after statehood, was actually born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho. She is the mother of five (see family photo below) and is married to a native Alaskan, Todd Palin, who is a seasonal fisherman and an oil field worker offseason. He races snowmobiles on vacation.

The governor is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assn., an ardent hunter and outdoorswoman (her family has its own float plane) and is a sure bet to please the antiabortion wing of the Republican Party.

When prenatal genetic testing of their fifth child showed he had Down syndrome last spring, the couple went ahead with the birth in May and now talk of him as the joy of their life. (See photo below.) One of ...

... their other four children entered the Army and deploys to Iraq next month.

Palin is also an ardent advocate of developing Alaskan natural oil resources, having recently signed a bill to establish a new trans-Alaska gas pipeline to deliver energy to the lower 48 states.

In the face of opposition from large domestic oil companies, which have ruled Alaska state politics for many years, Palin supported the 1,700-mile gas line proposed by a Canadian firm.

She also likes to point out that Alaska was admitted to the Union 50 years ago in large part for its trove of natural resources, much of them now locked up, while the country sends billions to other oil-rich nations.

She notes that while the controversial Arctic Natural Wildlife Preserve is roughly 19 million acres of protected federal land, the area actually proposed for oil development with directional drilling is smaller than LAX.

When The Ticket first mentioned Palin as a McCain VP prospect back in June, Palin pooh-poohed the idea as "not this time around." But, obviously, the Arizona senator saw an opportunity in partnering with a fresh, non-Washington face, a conservative chief executive who enacted property tax cuts as a mayor and who addresses the lingering doubts some conservatives have about McCain.

She also happens to be female and might well attract some of those disappointed women among the 18 million voters who chose Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries and caucuses.

With women making up about 52% of the electorate, she could also appeal to them.

There was some concern in recent weeks that an investigation into an attempt by the governor's office to have an individual state trooper fired could derail Palin's VP chances. The trooper in question had been involved in a contentious divorce with Palin's younger sister and reportedly threatened others. So far, independent investigators have found it was Palin staffers who made the contacts and Palin knew nothing of their efforts.

Though new to national politics, Palin has proven a quick learner and is not shy using her elbows under the basket. While leading her high school girls team to a championship as a point guard, the future governor earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda."

— Andrew Malcolm

Photo credits: Top and middle, Office of the Alaska Governor; bottom, Al Grillo / Associated Press

Join the growing throngs preparing for this week's convention and the rest of the political season and beyond by having every Ticket item -- plus special offline Tweets from The Ticket's writers -- sent directly to your cellphone? To register for instant Twitter updates from The Ticket, go here and sign up.

Comments

[sam]

i'm confused. wasn't mccain's biggest knock on obama his experience? now he feels the person most capable of joining him in hte white house is someone who three years ago was the mayor of nowhere, alaska. huh?

[Dee]

Sounds like someone without a lot of experience. McCain is a very old man, and if elected, she would become President.

So...why has he been hitting Obama over the head with this "he doesn't have the experience to become president?"

[Pamela]

Good choice John!! Not a Washington puppet! Having a son with Downs-syndrome shows she practices what she believes in, pro-life. I like it alot!!!

[Dave Atkins]

Wow. Both Senators Snow and Hutchinson left behind to pick this 1st year govenor and former small-town mayor.

There's goes any attack on Sen. Obama's inexperience because how can that can't matter? Sen. McCain has chosen someone to put one, very fragile, heartbeat away from hold the office.

She seems to have one qualification, she has resisted the corruption of Alaska.

Apparently, John McCain relishes the role of outsider so much he's willing to sabatoge his chance to become the ultimate insider.

[Jean Lynn]

By focusing Palin's wafer thin political experience on her recent record as a fellow maverick, you're assuming that McCain is a maverick, which he is not. Just repeating McCain and maverick over and over does not make it true. Also, it's pretty cynical to assume that disenchanted Hillary supporters who claim they will vote for McCain out of their immature narcisstic idol-worship of a female candidate, will automatically convert to the McCain ticket. Palin is a extreme, right-wing former beauty pagent queen. And we know how much McCain can't deal with unattractive women, that's why he dumped his first wife for a rich woman 20 years his junior. So, this is all quite telling. Pick up the female vote?, I don't think so.

[Beth]

Nice to see a woman on the ticket!

Yet I wonder how a mother can leave a five-month-old baby, let alone one with Down's Syndrome, to accept this nomination? Having handicapped relatives in our family, I know firsthand they require more love and attention than non-disabled children. I am puzzled by Gov. Palin's priorities. A vice president may become president at a moment's notice. Most of us aren't accustomed to applauding a mother choosing to be unavailable to a disabled baby as expressing the kind of judgment needed potentially as president.

[MrsJones]

Does he really think women are THAT dumb? Well, I guess some are, but how can you vote against your own interests? She is clearly against a woman's right to choose and where does she stand on universal health care, Hillary' biggest issue? She doesn't bring any new ideas to his ticket. If you're a far right-leaning Republican or independent, its a great choice.

Also, McCain can't challenge Obama's experience or Rezco for that matter because it appears she's being investigated in her home state for unethical activity. It may not actually be anything, but neither is the Rezco issue.

I learned my lesson with the Clarence Thomas fiasco. Just because you're black doesn't mean you're my brother; likewise, just because you have ovaries, doesn't mean we're on the same side.

[breeze55]

You have got to be kidding - she has a BS in journalism and no Washington (or law, or constitutional) experience of any kind. She will be one heart beat away from President. How irresponsible can McCain get?

[erik]

sure Sara Barracuda.... All I have to say is McCain just jumped the shark..

[OOOOPS]

OMG.... IT'S DAN QUAYLE IN A DRESS...........

[Lim]

GREAT CHOICE!!!! Always want to see a woman on high position. Hope they will win in Nov.

[Marie]

I love it, I love it, I love it!!!!
Pick of the new century!
McCain, you rock! and you truly understand
what it means to stand for change.

[Norm]

this election has been nothing if not entertaining. Very interesting...

[joe]

John McCain love beauty queens.. Sarah was Miss Alaska runner-up in 1984.. I wonder how Cindy feels about Sarah since John McCain is known for chasing beauty queens and even abandoning his wife to marry one. I wonder how Todd feels about having his wife around a man with McCain reputation.
http://tinyurl.com/5b3z45

[directfitz]

What a gift to Democrats. Last night Obama inspires the nation and now McCain picks a Creationist who is under investigation!!!
I can't wait for the debates.
Biden vs Palin. Can't wait to hear what she has to say about geo-political strategies.

[Ray]

what the heck? McLame just handed the election to Obama. I have lost faith in the republican party. This woman is a nobody with no experience and no vision for this country. He expects us to get to know her with 68 days left? Who cares. There's no way I want her to be Pres when he kicks the bucket.

www.sethandray.com

[ModDemVoter]

This guy says, "Barack Who?"

http://www.greenfaucet.com/hanlons-pub/barack-who/22198

Nails it, unfortunately... very crafty pick and timing on McCain's part. Yikes.

They're even rockin' the cheerleaders at the announcement event in Ohio today-- look at those wild & crazy Republicans!

[mwner]

"Sarah Barracuda." Hmm... I can't help but think Barackcuda. A fast one indeed.

[Gerald]

So much for McCain's claim that the commander-in-chief must be well-experienced. If he dies, we get *her*?

[Michael]

I'm still going to vote for Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, but she sounds intriguing. Should make for an interesting race. If McCain/Palin wins you can expect that every ticket from now on will be male/female.

[Jay]

She's been governor for less than two years and her only previous political experience is as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town with a population of 5,470 as of the 2000 census.

She's not nearly experienced enough to be a heartbeat away from the presidency -- especially when McCain would be 77 at the end of his first term.

[Katy]

I wonder when her videos will come out.

[scott]

VP Palin has more experience than Barak Hussien Obama.

[Anonymous]

Can't wait for the first debate between Palin and Biden the Blow Hard.

[Cal]

Palin is ready to be President with two years as a govenor but Obama is too inexperienced? What the?????