McCain campaign confirms his choice of Palin as running mate

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- In a surprising move, U.S. presidential hopeful John McCain has chosen 44-year-old, not-well-known Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, his campaign announced Friday.

In an announcement, the campaign said that Palin "has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of."

"Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today," the campaign said.

McCain is expected to formally introduce his choice of a running mate at a big rally around 1600 GMT Friday in Dayton, Ohio.