Sarah Palin received death threats after she was nominated as Republican John McCain's running mate in 2008 presidential elections, according to emails released Friday, reflecting her meteoric rise.

The then Alaska governor -- and now possible White House candidate -- also emerges as hard-working and very concerned about her image from the 24,000 pages of emails released under a Freedom of Information request.

"Can you believe it?" Palin wrote in late August 2008, responding to a congratulatory message after she was announced as McCain's surprise and controversial pick as vice-presidential nominee.

"He told me yesterday -- it moved fast! Pray! I love you," she added in an email highlighted by the New York Times, which along with other media outlets was rifling through the mass of exchanges released by the state of Alaska.

Just days before the announcement she had been dealing with mundane matters as governor of the northwestern US state, including a request for "Alaska pins and governor pencils (or pens) to drop off at gladys wood elem school today."

Then, in the weeks and months after she was catapulted onto the national political stage, she received a number of death threats, the emails reveal.

"She doesn't belong to the NRA (National Rifle Association) to support the right of each citizen to have weapons in an aim of self-defence, but just to support the right of every Southern white citizen to shoot all non-white people legally!" wrote a sender identified as Dominique Villacrouz.