(WOMENSENEWS)–Cheers For the first time, the Republican Party has named a woman to its national ticket after Sen. John McCain selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate Friday morning.Palin, 44, was elected governor of the nation’s largest state in 2006, becoming the first woman to hold the office. A mother of five and former beauty queen, Palin finished second in the 1984 Miss Alaska pageant. She will accept the nomination during the party’s national convention on Wednesday in St. Paul, Minn.Palin referred to Democrats Geraldine Ferraro, the 1984 vice presidential nominee, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, during a press conference Friday. “It turns out the women of America aren’t finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all,” she said.A staunch social conservative, Palin is expected to help McCain shore up support among anti-choice Republicans because of her stand against abortion rights.