There has been talk of her for about 2 months among Conservatives, so this is not a sudden choice.
I've done some looking into her background and I believe she is a solid choice.
She's a mother of 5 children, one who has Down Syndrome who she chose to give birth to and raise instead of aborting. She's a solid Conservative who has a record of consulting with the state Constitution before signing any bills or vetoing them. She has a record of cleaning up government corruption in Alaska. Remember the "bridge to nowhere"?
She will gain McCain the votes of pro-life conservatives, who he needs to win this race and also will get a lot of votes from the bitter and angry Hillary supporters who feel betrayed and said can't support Obama. Many were already planning on voting for McCain, this will seal the deal with them.
While it's a smart strategic move, she is also very competent and is not entrenched in Washington's corruption. I felt McCain NEEDED to choose a Governor with actual experience in running a government from the top instead of another Senator. I thought it would be Romney but I love this choice. Maybe she'll even convince McCain to drill in ANWR.
She could also attract the horndog vote:
