After hearing the news that John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) said that she was proud of how far women have come in politics.

She related a story of a recent trip to the Adirondaks with her seven year old grandson, Jackson. The two met a local woman State Senator named Betty Little. Jackson, knowing his grandmother was also a state senator, turned to Allen with a question.

“He looked at me with big eyes and said ‘Grandy, can boys ever be Senators?,” she said. “I thought women around the world have been waiting for this question.”

Although Allen is much more moderate than Palin on social issues, she does see some commonality with the Alaskan. Like Allen, Palin has feuded with her on ethical issues.

“I think that obviously Alaska and New Jersey are very different places. But what we need is somebody who will fight bureaucracy and she is that,” said Allen. “What we need is somebody who will stand up when people are doing something that’s wrong whether it’s her party or big business. We need somebody clean and from outside of Washington and that’s a plus.”