Sarah Palin is a popular first-term governor who came to political
prominence in the far northwestern state of Alaska for tackling
corruption.
An economic and social conservative, the
44-year-old Palin opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. A hunter,
fisher and general outdoors enthusiast, she favors the rights of gun
owners.
As the chief executive of an oil and natural gas-rich
state, Palin heads the National Governors Association's Natural
Resources Committee. She has campaigned in favor of drilling for oil
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And this week she signed
legislation on a natural gas pipeline that would tap resources in
Alaska's North Slope.
The governor has five children, the
oldest of whom signed up for the military on September 11, 2007,
the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Her youngest child, who has Downs syndrome, was born earlier this year.
Palin's
husband, Todd, is of native Alaskan Eskimo heritage. He is an oil
field production operator for BP and also is a four-time Iron Dog
snowmobile race champion.
This would be the second time a woman
has been on a major party ticket in the United States. Democrat
Geraldine Ferraro ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 1984.
Palin
would be the only governor on the major party national tickets this
year, with McCain and Democrat Barack Obama and his running mate Joe
Biden all in the U.S. Senate.
McCain's campaign has been
hoping to attract supporters of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who
this year ran the most successful presidential campaign by a woman in
U.S. history.
Palin, who was born in the western state of Idaho,
was a runner-up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant in 1984. Before her
election as governor, she was a city councilwoman and mayor.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
