Sarah Palin may not have been a name that Western New Yorkers knew before today, but she certainly is the talk of the town tonight. Earlier today John McCain announced Palin as his choice for a vice presidential running mate. She is 44 years old and currently, the governor of Alaska. "I think it's a very strong ticket. I think it surprised everybody. It surprised me," said 7 News Analyst Bob Davis.
But will Palin pull in female voters? That's a large undecided voter block that both candidates are trying to nail down. "The undecided voters in the presidential race skews female, skews 25-49. And when you take a look at the governor, she's 44 years old and she's female," said Davis.
"Gender doesn't play a part in it," said Nakieda Massey, when asked whether she would vote for a candidate based solely on gender. "It is interesting that they would choose a woman but I wouldn't vote just based on her gender," said Melanie Schron, another undecided female voter.
While Republican candidate John McCain may have been trying to go after Hilary Clinton voters by putting Palin on the ticket, the true "get" with Palin may be the conservative vote. "It will solidify McCain in the southern states and in the heartland states which are going to be very important. Those are red states and they need to stay red for McCain to be conservative," said Davis.
However, those conservative credentials may also be a turnoff to some female voters. "It does concern me that she's so conservative because her views aren't exactly what I would hope for a woman candidate," said Schron.
Ultimately, the selection of Palin or Bideon on the Democratic ticket, will come down to how the individual voter feels. "An overwhelming majority of voters vote for the person running for president. I don't think vice president has that much influence on the ticket at the end of the day. Now, if you're in a situation where you don't know where to go, then that's when the vice presidential selection might come into play," said Davis.
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