Bridgewater said McCain made a wise move in selecting Palin as his running mate.

"The pick of a Washington outsider with management experience running a state, and the fact that she is a woman, all those factors combined strengthen our chances of winning the White House in November," he said.

Jones said things could change when voters see McCain and Palin take on Obama and Biden in the debates.

"Will they continue the momentum?" Jones asked. "The real turning point will be when they have the (vice-presidential) debate Oct. 2."

McCain passed up Utah favorite Mitt Romney for Palin, but Utah voters feel no ill will toward McCain, according to the poll. In fact, 66 percent of those polled said the snub will make no difference in whether they vote for McCain.

Romney, the leader of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pulled in 90 percent of the vote in Utah's winner-take-all Feb. 5 GOP presidential primary.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com