When John McCain announced his vice presidential running mate Friday, many people were surprised at his choice. The buzz had been circling around former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney and Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge.

Instead, in what some consider a move designed to woo disappointed Hillary Clinton voters, he chose Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old mother of five -- a one-term Republican governor of Alaska with a very high approval rating.

Palin is now the first female vice presidential nominee since 1984, when Democratic candidate Walter Mondale chose Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate.

Elected in 2006 as the youngest and first female governor of Alaska in 2006, Palin has cleaned house in her own state by ridding it of corrupt politicians and taking on big oil interests. She is known to oppose same-sex marriage and abortion and to favour capital punishment.

In his introductory announcement today John McCain described her as "someone with strong principles, a fighting spirit and deep compassion." He framed her addition to his campaign as a wholesome woman and a strong conviction. "She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what's right and she doesn't let anyone tell her when to sit down."

Sarah Palin was born in 1964 in Idaho and moved to Wasilla, Alaska (north of Anchorage) as an infant. The daughter of a school teacher and a school secretary, she excelled in high school sports, particularly basketball, where she earned her nickname Sarah "Barracuda." Pastimes shared with her father were hunting moose and running.

After winning a scholarship by finishing second in a Miss Alaska beauty pageant, Palin earned a journalism degree, with a minor in politics, from the University of Idaho. Following college, she briefly worked as a sports reporter in Anchorage.

She married her high school sweetheart, Todd Palin in 1988. They have five children; two boys and three girls, ranging in age from 19 to 4 months. The oldest, Track, joined the U.S. army last year and is set to deploy to Iraq on Sept. 11, 2008. The youngest is a baby boy who was born with Down Syndrome. The girls' names are Bristol, Willow and Piper.

Todd Palin works as a commercial fisherman, and off season, in the oil fields. In the mid 1990s Todd and Sarah ran a business selling snowmobiles, watercraft and all terrain vehicles. Todd Palin is also a world champion snow machine racer.

Sarah Palin's major political achievements:

• 1992 - 1996: Wasilla city councilor
• 1996- 2002: Wasilla mayor
• 2002: ran for but lost the race for lieutenant governor
• 2003: 2006 Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation commissioner
• 2006: elected governor of Alaska

Her political career is not without controversy. She is currently being investigated for using her power to order the dismissal of an Alaska public safety commissioner because he refused to fire a state trooper, who is her former brother-in-law.

Alan Lichtman, a presidential historian, told CTV News that Palin is "a reformer and a maverick in Alaska politics who has been willing to take on the Republican establishment."

Her well documented and staunch anti-abortion stance meant that she had only one choice when she discovered her youngest child would be born with Down syndrome. She was quoted by the Republican National Committee as saying, "We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."

All eyes will be on her to determine whether she is able to put her hard-hitting, straight-talking approach that so effectively reformed Alaska politics -- and secured an 80 per cent voter approval -- to work on the national stage.

Pat Forgy, a government reporter for the Juneau Empire, told CTV Newsnet that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was "a stunner."

Forgy believes her popularity is due to her work at fighting corruption and ensuring the state gets its share of oil and gas wealth.

When asked if adding her to his ticket would help McCain win over the disaffected Hillary voters Forgy said, "probably not, they'd have to be anti-abortion and anti-gay rights Hillary voters and I can't imagine there'd be many of them out there."