Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Wednesday formally accepted the Republican nomination to run for the vice president at the ongoing Republican National Convention here in Minnesota.
She made history by becoming the first female on the Republican presidential ticket and the second woman on a major party's presidential ticket.
If the Republicans win the November general election, Palin could make history again by becoming the first female U.S. vice president.
Palin was born in Idaho in 1964, and her family moved to Alaska when she was an infant.
In 1984, she ranked second in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant after becoming Miss Wasilla earlier that year, winning a scholarship to finance her college education.
Palin holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho, where she minored in politics.
Her husband Todd Palin is a Native Yup'ik Eskimo, and they have five children.
She served two terms on the city council of the small town of Wasilla from 1992 to 1996, then won two terms as mayor of Wasilla from 1996 to 2002. She chaired the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2003 and 2004.
Palin, who is in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska as the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political post.
Graded as a right-wing Republican and social conservative by critics, she is very popular among young people in Alaska, CNN said.
John McCain's pick of Palin as his running mate is intended to shorten the age gap with his Democratic opponent Barack Obama, who is only 47 years old.
McCain, aged 72, also hopes to attract female voters who used to support Hillary Clinton, political analysts said.
Source:Xinhua
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