Palin Approval Runs Along Partisan Lines

About half of the public had a favorable first impression of vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, and that half consists primarily of Republicans, a new ABC News poll finds. This not-so-shocking divide mirrors the numbers on Joe Biden: his candidacy makes 22% of people more likely to support the Obama ticket and 10% less likely.

McCain's choice inspired increased confidence in 80% of Republicans and 44% of independents, while 59% of Democrats report less confidence in the senator's ability to make important decisions. Men are more confident than women (46% to 39%) that Palin has enough experience to be president, with a wider gap on the question of whether the media have treated her fairly—46% of women say yes, to 55% of men. (More poll stories.)