ST. PAUL, Minn. - It may be John McCain's show, but Sarah Palin is getting plenty of time in the spotlight.

Even before the Republican National Convention convened Monday and Palin's speech Wednesday night, local and state party leaders were abuzz with excitement over McCain's unconventional choice of the first-term Alaska governor for a running mate.

"I was listening to a morning radio show and they were speculating that it was Palin, and my heart just jumped," said Erin Decker, an alternate delegate for the 1st Congressional District from Silver Lake. "At the Kenosha County Republican office, once it was announced, it was like a revolving door. People were coming by asking for signs and asking how they could help; it just turned everything."

Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and Bush Cabinet secretary, said the choice of Palin has "just ignited the party like I haven't seen in a long time."

Throughout this week's convention, the party faithful have touted Palin's life experiences, from being a hunter to being a whistle-blowing reformer, to her experience as governor.

"Talk about a woman that has everything," said Bob Geason of Burlington and a delegate to the convention.

"She's pro-life. She's pro-gun. She's pro-energy. She runs a government. She actually has executive experience, which Obama has none," Geason said. "She's more qualified than he is."

Several local delegates mentioned Palin's standing up to corruption in Alaska as a sign of her toughness and resolve to take on the challenges of a national office.

"The fact that she took on corruption in Alaska and the good-old-boy network and wasn't going to let that affect her, I think that speaks very highly of her," said John Knuteson, the former Wind Point village president and an alternate delegate at large.

Decker said that in her opinion the Democrats' 1984 choice of then-New York Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as Walter Mondale's running mate was purely a token gesture, as most predicted Mondale's defeat by Ronald Reagan. Palin, Decker said, is a contender who can win.

Thompson, based on feedback he received at last Saturday's University of Wisconsin football game, said many Democrats and independents were thinking of voting for the McCain ticket because of the addition of a female running mate. But Theresie Bode, wife of alternate delegate at large Tom Bode, said she believes gender is irrelevant.

"I think the great thing about the choice is, I honestly think she got it on her merits, not because she was a woman," said Bode, a Wind Point resident.

Republicans at the convention seem little fazed by controversies surrounding Palin, such as the pregnancy of her teenage daughter, or the decades-old OWI arrest of her husband or, in her role as governor, the firing of a family member's ex-spouse from a state job.

"I did think it was classy on behalf of Senator Obama to say that family matters are personal matters, particularly for the children of the family," Knuteson said. "I thought the press was ruthless with Chelsea Clinton and the Bush girls. It's the People magazine approach: What's interesting is the foibles of people."

Knuteson, whose daughter is a physician, wife and mother of two, said he was also impressed with Palin's ability to balance her family duties with those of her political life.

"She has leadership skills," Knuteson said. "That's why so many governors go on to become president."