CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Palin’s 17-year-old daughter pre

Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, second from the right, is pregnant.ST. PAUL (CNN) - Bristol Palin, the 17 year old daughter of Sarah Palin, is pregnant and will keep the baby and marry the father, a senior McCain aide confirmed to CNN Monday.McCain was aware of Bristol Palin’s pregnancy before he chose her mother for his running mate, the aide said.“Senator McCain knew this and felt in no way did it disqualify her from being vice president,” said the aide. “Families have difficulties sometimes and lucky for her she has a supportive family.”Bristol Palin, a senior in high school, is about 5 months along, in her second trimester, according to the aide.The aide said they decided to reveal this information now because of rampant Internet rumors that Sarah Palin’s four month old baby, who has Down’s Syndrome, was actually Bristol’s.“In the course of correcting that, we needed to get the truth out,” said the McCain aide.In a statement from Sarah and Todd Palin, they said they were “proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”They also asked the media to respect their daughter’s privacy.The McCain aide insisted a key point to keep in mind is that Bristol decided to keep the baby, a decision “supported by her parents.”