By Jeff Mason
DAYTON, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican John McCain pickedAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his surprise choice for running mateon Friday, adding a political unknown to the presidentialticket who could help him appeal to women voters.
Palin, 44, will appear with McCain later on Friday in arally in Dayton, Ohio, as the Arizona senator grabs thepolitical focus away from Democratic rival Barack Obama one dayafter Obama accepted his party's presidential nomination.
"Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstratedduring her time in office that she is ready to be president,"McCain said in a statement announcing the choice.
"She has brought Republicans and Democrats together withinher administration and has a record of delivering on the changeand reform that we need in Washington," the statement said.
McCain and Palin will face Obama and his No. 2, Joe Biden,in the November 4 presidential election.
The pick followed days of speculation about McCain'schoice, with most of the better-known contenders like formerMassachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney slowly eliminated over the last24 hours.
Palin is a conservative first-term governor of Alaska withstrong anti-abortion views, a record of reform and fiscalconservatism and an outsider's perspective on Washington. Sheis also an avid sportswoman who would bring youth and vitalityto the ticket.
McCain turns 72 on Friday and would be the oldest person totake office for a first term in the White House if elected.
Palin is almost unknown nationally, which could hurtMcCain's argument that Obama, a first-term senator fromIllinois, is too inexperienced to handle the White House.
But she could help him appeal to disaffected supporters ofDemocrat Hillary Clinton, who lost a bruising primary to Obama.
In his acceptance speech on Thursday, Obama directlyattacked McCain and linked him to what he called the failedRepublican policies of President George W. Bush, promising toreverse eight years of economic failure and restore thestanding of the United States in the world.
REFORMER
Palin, former mayor of the town of Wasilla, built areputation as a reformer in a state that recently has been hitwith corruption scandals. Elected in 2006, she is Alaska'sfirst woman governor.
Palin and her husband, Todd, have five children, ranging inage from 18 years to 4 months.
"She brings an excitement on the part of the Republicanbase. The strong conservatives really like her and you have toactivate the base," said Dennis Goldford, a professor ofpolitics at Drake University in Des Moines.
"He is also clearly trying to attract Clinton supporterswho want to see a female in the VP's office ... On the downside there is no way in the world she passes thecommander-in-chief test."
If elected, Palin would be the first woman U.S. vicepresident, adding another historic element to a presidentialrace that has been filled with firsts. Obama, 47, is the firstblack nominee of a major U.S. political party.
McCain and Republicans open their national convention onMonday, following Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday before75,000 flag-waving supporters at a grand political rally inDenver's open-air football stadium.
In his acceptance speech, Obama said McCain was out oftouch with the day-to-day concerns of Americans and had been"anything but independent" on key issues like the economy,health care and education.
"Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't carewhat's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think hedoesn't know," said Obama, who had been urged by some Democratsto take a tougher line against McCain.
"Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really,what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bushwas right more than 90 percent of the time?" Obama asked,citing McCain's voting record in the U.S. Senate.
The televised acceptance speech gave Obama his biggestnational audience until he meets McCain in late September inthe first of three debates. The two are running neck-and-neckin polls.
McCain quickly grabbed back the political limelight withthe choice of Palin. The two will appear together at a rallybefore about 10,000 supporters in a state, Ohio, that is acrucial battleground state in November's election.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, writing by JohnWhitesides; Editing by Frances Kerry)