Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at a rally on August, 29, 2008, in Dayton, Ohio.
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CelebNews@Usmagazine.com! - John McCain Picks Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as Running Mate

John McCain has chosen his running mate: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The 44-year-old -- who was elected governor just two years ago after serving as mayor of Wasilla (pop. 6,715) -- will be the first woman nominated by the Republican Party to run on a national ticket.

"She's exactly who this country needs to help me fight the same old Washington politics of me first and country second," McCain, who turned 72-years-old Friday, said at a rally attended by 15,000 flag-waving supporters at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Palin reached out to Hillary Clinton's supporters in her remarks.

"It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America," she said. "But it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."

Palin is the mother of five children, the youngest of whom was born in April and has Down syndrome. Both Palin and McCain both have children in the military.

She is a pro-gun rights social conservative who opposes abortion and gay marriage.

"Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president," the McCain campaign said in a statement. "[She] has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today."

Born in Idaho and a graduate of the University of Idaho, Palin is the first female governor of Alaska and its youngest. She was also the runner-up in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant.

Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden said in a statement that McCain's pick "is yet another encouraging sign that old barriers are falling in our politics."

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, issued a sharper critique: "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 continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it’s just more of the same."

Palin's parents were advised to "listen to the radio" by her husband, Tim, they told CBS News.

Chuck and Sally Heath described the choice as "a wonderful surprise."

Said Sally, "I am shocked!"

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman were all considered to be on McCain's short list.

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