Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, making her the first woman ever to serve on a Republican presidential ticket.

McCain's decision was revealed just hours before he was set to appear with his newly-minted running mate at a rally in swing-state Ohio.

Palin, the first Alaskan to appear on a national ticket, was elected Alaska's first woman governor in 2006. The state’s voters had grown weary of career politician Gov. Frank Murkowski, whom she defeated in the GOP primary.

“I've been blessed with the right timing here,” Palin said before the election. “There's no doubt that Alaskans right now are dealing in an atmosphere of distrust of government and industry.”

She has proven to be a popular governor. Eighty percent of the state's voters gave her a "somewhat favorable" or "very favorable" rating in a July 2008 poll.