As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin joins the GOP presidential ticket as John McCain's running mate, questions abound over whether her candidacy will benefit the Arizona senator in winning over the largest voting bloc in the presidential election -- women.

Palin is a life member of the National Rifle Association and a staunch anti-abortion advocate, both qualities that quickly earned McCain's candidacy points with conservatives. But her stance on abortion, in particular, could make it difficult to win over disgruntled supporters of former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

"Senator McCain made a historic and strategic choice in choosing Gov. Sarah Palin with the clear intent of reaching out to female Hillary supporters. There's only one obvious problem -- she's not Hillary Clinton,” Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis told FOXNews.com.

Sources close to McCain told FOXNews.com on condition of anonymity that the campaign hopes to capture former Clinton supporters still disheartened over her loss to Barack Obama. But while Palin is an anti-abortion Republican, Clinton is an abortion-rights supporting Democrat.

“And so it is unlikely, given the right-wing Bush-like positions of McCain and Palin that the Republican ticket can win over a significant percentage of the more progressive-minded Hillary supporters,” Kofinis said.

National Organization for Women PAC Chairwoman Kim Gandy released a statement saying Clinton supporters will find Palin is not an "advocate" for women.

"Senator John McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest," she said. "Governor Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain."

Even so, a recent FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll shows that the most important issue confronting female voters in the 2008 election is the economy, and the McCain campaign said it thinks her record in Alaska will sway voters.

"Governor Palin is going to be an invaluable addition to the ticket because she understands the importance of respecting and understanding the American taxpayer and fighting wasteful spending," McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds told FOXNews.com on Friday.

"She is an exceedingly effective leader on the energy issue and understands that McCain’s focus to bring down energy costs will translate across the economy,” Bounds added.

Among those women surveyed in the poll, 40 percent said the economy is their number one issue, followed by health care at 13 percent, the Iraq War at 12 percent and terrorism/national security at 8 percent. Three percent of those polled said abortion rights were their top concern.

Palin, serving her first a first term Republican governor of Alaska, has made energy costs a top priority in her administration, even advocating drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In August, Palin signed a measure to suspend gasoline taxes for one year and give a one-time $1,200 payment to residents as part of an effort to ease the strain of high energy prices.

McCain’s selection of Palin as the first Republican woman vice presidential candidate is the latest -- and boldest -- attempt by the GOP to target women in this election. A mother of five children, Palin’s self-made story will be used to reach out to women, McCain campaign aides say.

Appearing at a rally Friday in Dayton, Ohio, Palin referenced the historic nature of her candidacy and paid tribute to prominent female politicians who have preceded her -- most notably Clinton, who lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in a contentious primary race.

"It is fitting that this trust has been given to me almost 88 years to the day after women of America first gained the right to vote," Palin said.

Clinton won 18 million voters and emerged as the clear favorite among Democratic women, according to polls released in June when Clinton withdrew from the race.

Palin, during her speech in Ohio, praised Clinton’s historic candidacy, saying she "showed such determination and grace."

"It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America, but it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all," she said.

Others cite Palin's foreign policy inexperience as yet another challenge facing the Alaska governor in securing Clinton voters.

In a statement released Friday, Alaska Democratic Party communications director Kay Brown said, "John McCain will have to explain why he believes Sarah Palin, the former mayor of a town of 7,000 with absolutely no foreign policy experience, is the best person to serve literally a heartbeat away from the presidency."