McCain’s Pick of Alaska Gov. Palin Assures 2008 Election Will Be Historic

“Is this really who the Republican Party wants to be one heartbeat away from the presidency? Given Sarah Palin ’s lack of experience on every front and on nearly every issue, this vice presidential pick doesn’t show judgment: it shows political panic,” said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel , the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Sen. Barbara Boxer , D-Calif., said such a choice was “dangerous,” and added, “If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken. The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women. On the issues, they could not be further apart.”

The pick was hailed by conservatives, who have never been entirely comfortable with McCain and were worried that he might choose a running mate who supports abortion rights.

“I predict any conservatives who have been lukewarm thus far in their support of the McCain candidacy will work their hearts out between now and November for the McCain-Palin ticket,” said David Keene, the chairman of the American Conservative Union.

Conservative Appeal

A strong supporter of the National Rifle Association, Palin favors gun rights and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“How could you go wrong with a moose-burger eating, ice-fishing governor? Alaska’s got to be the single most pro-gun state in the country. So I think NRA members and gun owners are going to be very excited about her addition to the ticket,” Sandra Froman, the immediate past president of the National Rifle Association, said on a conference call in which the leaders of a range of conservative groups hailed the decision.

However, none of those leaders could vouch for her skills as a debater against Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden Jr. , because none could say they had heard her debate.

“The good news on Sarah Palin is that she ran in a Republican primary on the tax and spending issues against Republicans who had been too willing to raise taxes and too willing to spend money,” said Grover Norquist, head of the anti-tax Americans for Tax Reform.

Republicans have been hammering away on energy issues all summer, assailing Democrats in Congress for blocking votes on proposals to allow oil and gas drilling offshore and on public lands now closed to exploration.

Two days ago, Palin signed legislation paving the way for construction of a huge pipeline to bring natural gas across Alaska and Canada to the lower 48. Her strong support for domestic energy development can help Republicans press their attack on Democrats who have been wary of the environmental impact of more drilling.

Alaska Politics

Palin has been riding a wave of popularity locally after pushing through $1,200 per person payments to help Alaskans deal with high oil and gas prices.

McCain’s Pick of Alaska Gov. Palin Assures 2008 Election Will Be Historic

According to the polling company Rasmussen Reports, she gets good or excellent ratings from 64 percent of voters statewide.

Palin ran on a pledge to reform Alaska and has turned a cold shoulder to Republicans involved in scandals.

The Associated Press has reported that the in 2005, before she became governor, the Palin family accused trooper Mike Wooten, her former brother-in-law, of drinking a beer while in his patrol car, illegal hunting and firing a Taser at his 11-year-old stepson, and that Wooten later served a five-day suspension.

The AP said Attorney General Talis Colberg has found that 14 members of the Palin administration made calls to Department of Public Safety officials about Wooten. Palin said Aug. 27 that none of the two dozen or so calls were made at her direction.

Palin, a commercial fishing operator and sports reporter earlier in her career, is from Wasilla, a community about 45 miles from Anchorage that had a 2004 population of about 7,700. She served on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996 and as Wasilla mayor for the following four years.

She made an unsuccessful 2002 bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, and then served on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2003-04.

Two years ago, Palin unseated then-Gov. Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary and then beat former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in the 2006 general.

She endorsed her lieutenant governor, Sean Parnell, in a race against longtime Rep. Don Young , who is connected to a state corruption scandal. Young narrowly led Parnell in the primary, according to incomplete and unofficial returns. A final vote outcome will not be determined until Sept. 5 when absentee votes are counted.

If the McCain ticket wins in November, Palin will be succeeded by Parnell, who will in turn be succeeded by state Attorney General Talis Colberg. If Parnell wins election to the House, Colberg will become acting governor until a special election is held.

Palin and Parnell raised more than $1.5 million for their 2006 election, according to data from the National Institute of Money and State Politics, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks campaign donations to state-level candidates. Civil servants, health professionals, lawyers and lobbyists were listed as the leading categories of donors.

Democratic presidential candidates have effectively ceded the state of Alaska in recent elections. Voters there last supported a Democrat for president in 1964. But Obama indicated early on that he wouldn’t overlook Alaska this cycle, opening offices in the state and discussing a campaign stop.

After Friday’s announcement, Anchorage pollster Ivan Moore said, “The Obama campaign, if they’re realistic, will probably be packing up their stuff and leaving the state.”

George W. Bush won Alaska by 26 points in 2004 and 31 points in 2000.

McCain’s Pick of Alaska Gov. Palin Assures 2008 Election Will Be Historic

But McCain had weaknesses, at least before the Palin pick, that were unusual for a GOP nominee, including his opposition to oil drilling in ANWR and his singling out of “the Bridge to Nowhere” as the leading example of wasteful government spending.

In the Alaska Republican caucuses on Feb. 5, McCain finished fourth with 16 percent; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the state with 44 percent of the vote.

Palin’s selection is both a move to claim Alaska for the GOP ticket and an indication that McCain intends to try to court women who supported Clinton in the Democratic primary.

“He wants to run as change candidate and get Hillary supporters,” Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui of California said.

In a preview of the back-and-forth yet to come, Sen. Jim DeMint , R-S.C., issued a statement arguing that the Democratic ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden Jr. will not measure up to McCain-Palin.

“Both McCain and Palin are known for their achievements. Obama and Biden are known for their smooth talk. Americans know that talk is cheap. McCain-Palin is a winning ticket for Republicans,” DeMint said.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called the choice a “Hail Mary pass.”

“It is a real roll of the dice and shows how John McCain , Karl Rove et al realize what a strong position the Obama-Biden team and Democrats in general are in in this election,” he said.

Rachel Kapochunas, Emily Cadei and Alex Knott in Washington; Bob Benenson and Marc Rehmann in Denver; and Kathleen Hunter in Minneapolis contributed to this story.