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John McCain shook up the US presidential race on Friday with the surprising announcement that he had picked little-known Sarah Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska, as his vice-presidential running mate. “She’s exactly who I need,” said Mr McCain as he appeared with Ms Palin at a rally in the swing state of Ohio, where she made a direct appeal to supporters of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama’s defeated primary rival.

“Hillary Clinton left 18m cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America,” she said, referring to the number of votes cast for Mrs. Clinton in the primaries. “It turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all,” reports the Financial Times.

But Ms Palin’s political background is a far cry from Mrs. Clinton’s. A hunting enthusiast and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, the mother of five is opposed to abortion, has a son in the army and a husband who is a part-Inuit champion snowmobiler.

Mr. Obama’s campaign seized on Ms Palin’s inexperience – the former suburban mayor and beauty queen has been in the governor’s office for less than two years – to argue that her presence on the Republican ticket would neutralize Mr. McCain’s perceived strength on national security.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said: “Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.”

Obama officials highlighted health concerns surrounding Mr. McCain by noting that on Friday was his 72nd birthday, aiming to stoke debate about Ms Palin’s readiness to become commander-in-chief. She was chosen ahead of several better-known contenders, including Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, and Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.

Read more here: Palin to shake up election fight in US