Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s surprising selection as a running mate for Sen. John McCain was an instant hit Friday with social and religious conservatives, a voting bloc vital to the Republican presidential candidate’s chances this fall.
“Our evangelical base is on fire. We have not seen it this excited in recent history,” said Russell Johnson of the Lynnwood-based Family Policy Institute of Washington that caters to the state’s socially conservative religious community.
Palin, 44, is a solid opponent of abortion and supporter of gun rights, two litmus test issues for the Republican Party’s right-of-center.
“Conservatives wanted a candidate with strong family values,” said Larry Stickney of Arlington, a longtime political activist and former executive director of the policy institute. “This seals the deal for them. It may end up being a stroke of genius.”
It came so unexpectedly Friday morning that leading Democrats, Republicans and national media commentators rushed to their computers to scour the Internet for information on the woman who formerly was mayor of a town with about as many residents as Stanwood.
Democrats responded harshly, aiming their criticism at her anonymity.
“It is a terrible pick,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash. “The first question a presidential candidate has to ask is, ‘Can this person take over for me.’ The first question people are asking right now is, ‘Who is this person?’”
This match-up of McCain and Palin versus Barack Obama and Joe Biden is one in which each side can now try to argue to voters they have the experience and freshness to bring change to the country.
What is crucial for Republicans is attracting conservatives to the polls. Two years ago, Democrats won federal elections across the country and regained the majority in Congress.
Part of the reason is large numbers of conservative Republicans didn’t vote. They were angry at the corruption of Republican lawmakers and frustrated by the lack of fiscal restraint shown by the GOP-controlled Congress. They simply weren’t happy.
“It had a devastating impact,” said Pastor Joe Fuiten of Cedar Park Church in Bothell, one of the state’s leading religious conservatives. “If we show up, it’ll make a difference.”
It shouldn’t be hard to get them out this time, he said.
“We’ve never had as clear an election as this,” Fuiten said, saying it comes down to “whether we want the ultra left or the solid right.”
State Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, a former resident of Alaska, said Palin’s record on social issues “is certainly the frosting on the cake.”
But it is her personal and political biography that is “exactly what the ticket needs,” she said. “She brings a hometown feel that most Americans can relate to.”
Evelyn Spencer of Everett, a delegate to next week’s Republican National Convention, gushed about Palin’s persona.
“Her integrity is unquestioned and she’s a real fighter. She stands up for what she believes in,” she said “And having a woman on the ticket is exciting, too.”
Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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