The choice of Palin, 44, will be unveiled later on Friday in a
rally in Dayton as McCain grabs the political focus away from
Democratic rival Barack Obama one day after Obama accepted his
party's presidential nomination.
Mr McCain and Ms Palin will face Obama and his No. 2, Joe Biden,
in the Nov. 4 presidential election.
The pick followed days of speculation about Mr McCain's choice,
with most of the better-known contenders like former Massachusetts
Gov. Mitt Romney slowly eliminated over the last 24 hours.
Ms Palin is a conservative first-term governor of Alaska with a
strong anti-abortion views and a record of fiscal conservatism. She
is an avid sportswoman who would bring youth and vitality to the
ticket. Mr McCain turns 72 on Friday.
Ms Palin is not well-known nationally, and that could cut into
McCain's argument that Mr Obama is too inexperienced to handle the
White House. But she could help him appeal to disaffected
supporters of Democrat Hillary Clinton, who lost a bruising primary
to Obama.
In his acceptance speech on Thursday, Mr Obama directly attacked
Mr McCain and linked him to what he called the failed Republican
economic policies of President George W. Bush.
Ms Palin, former mayor of the town of Wasilla, built a
reputation as a reformer in a state that recently has been hit with
corruption scandals. Elected in 2006, she is Alaska's first woman
governor.
Ms Palin and her husband, Todd, have five children, ranging in
age from 18 years to 4 months. -- REUTERS
