TOUCHSTONES -- Among personal and policy matters tested in this poll, the most positive response is to Palin's decision to have her fifth baby earlier this year after a diagnosis of Down syndrome; 41 percent say this makes them see her more favorably.
On the policy level, in a small victory for earmarks, Americans by 32-19 percent say they're more apt to think better rather than worse of her for obtaining $27 million in federal funding for local projects as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
Positive vs. negative impacts are closer in views, on a personal level, of her daughter's pregnancy; and on policy matters, her views on abortion and gun control. Partisanship is strongest on her opposition to legal abortion; 57 percent of Republicans say these views make them see her more favorably, while just 29 percent of independents and 19 percent of Democrats agree. Positive responses to her position on abortion peak, at 66 percent, among evangelical white Protestants.
VOTE IMPACT -- As noted, predisposed partisans on each side are more apt to react favorably to Palin and Biden. On Palin, conservatives by a 34-point margin say her addition to the ticket makes them more likely rather than less likely to support McCain; among Republicans it's a 37-point positive margin, and among white evangelicals, 32 points. These are all heavily pro-McCain groups in the first place, but these numbers may reflect an enthusiasm -- somewhat lacking in his campaign -- that could impact their turnout.
At the same time, the story in the ideological center is different: Among moderates, Biden registers as a net 15-point positive for Obama. In the same group, Palin shows no effect on support for McCain.
METHODOLOGY -- This ABC News poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 4, 2008, among a random national sample of 505 adults. The results from the full survey have a 4.5-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, PA.
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