Sarah Palin has now become decidedly the most disliked person in the 2008 Presidential campaign. From the Washington Post<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Palin is now a much less positive force: Six in 10 voters see her as lacking the experience to be an effective president, and a third are now less likely to vote for McCain because of her.<\/p>\n

It is the experience question that may prove her highest hurdle, particularly when paired with widespread public concern about McCain’s age. About half of all voters said they were uncomfortable with the idea of McCain taking office at age 72, and 85 percent of those voters said Palin does not have the requisite experience to be president.<\/p>\n

The 60 percent who now see Palin as insufficiently experienced to step into the presidency is steeply higher than in a Post-ABC poll after her nomination early last month. Democrats and Republicans alike are now more apt to doubt her qualifications, but the biggest shift has come among independents.<\/p>\n

In early September, independents offered a divided verdict on Palin’s experience; now they take the negative view by about 2 to 1. Nearly two-thirds of both independent men and women in the new poll said Palin has insufficient experience to run the White House.<\/p>\n

In the new Post-ABC poll, Palin matches the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., on empathy, one of McCain’s clear deficits against Obama, while fewer than half of voters think she understands “complex issues.” <\/p>\n

A third of independent voters now indicate they are less likely to support McCain because of Palin, compared with 20 percent who said so in an ABC poll a month ago. Palin now repels more independents than she attracts to McCain. The share of independent women less apt to support McCain because of the Palin pick has more than doubled to 34 percent, while the percentage more inclined to support him is down eight points.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This translates into huge shifts in battleground states<\/a> like Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania as these voters have become wary of the McCain\/Palin ticket<\/a>:<\/p>\n

In Florida \u2014 Palin gets a negative 36 – 39 percent favorability, down from 47 – 23 percent September 11.
\nIn Ohio \u2014 Palin\u2019s favorability is split 35 – 35 percent, compared to 41 – 22 percent last time.
\nIn Pennsylvania \u2014 Palin\u2019s favorability is a negative 34 – 37 percent, down from 39 – 26 percent<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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