WASILLA - THE pregnant teenage daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her boyfriend are considering a summer wedding.

Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, haven't set a wedding date yet, his mother, Mrs Sherry Johnston, said on Thursday.

The two have been considering getting married next summer, 'but that could change,' she said during a short interview outside her Wasilla home. The baby is due in late December.

The young couple was thrust into the spotlight after Mrs Sarah Palin was selected as Mr John McCain's running mate in late August.

That only intensified Sept 1 when Mrs Palin announced her unwed daughter was pregnant, spinning Internet speculation about the father's identity.

In a short statement, the campaign never identified Levi, instead saying only: 'Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realise very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family.'

Mrs Sherry Johnston eventually disclosed that her son, a former high school hockey player, was the father.

Levi Johnston attended the Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota, the next week as Palin accepted the nomination. -- AP