Sarah Palin has made a good first impression. Before being named as John McCain’s running mate, 67% of voters didn’t know enough about the Alaska governor to have an opinion. After her debut in Dayton and a rush of media coverage, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 53% now have a favorable opinion of Palin while just 26% offer a less flattering assessment.

Palin earns positive reviews from 78% of Republicans, 26% of Democrats and 63% of unaffiliated voters. Obviously, these numbers will be subject to change as voters learn more about her in the coming weeks. Among all voters, 29% have a Very Favorable opinion of Palin while 9% hold a Very Unfavorable view.

By way of comparison, on the day he was selected as Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden was viewed favorably by 43% of voters.

Full demographic crosstabs results by gender, age, race, ideology, party, most important issues and more are available to Premium Members. There’s just two more days to save with summer rates on Premium Memberships. Sign up now and save. Learn More.

Palin’s selection may have already provided a short-term boost for McCain by muting any further convention bounce following Obama’s successful acceptance speech on Thursday night. The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll on Saturday shows little change from the numbers released on Friday morning.

In the new survey, 35% of voters say the selection of Palin makes them more likely to vote for McCain while 33% say they are less likely to do so. Most Republicans say they are more likely to vote for Palin and most Democrats say the opposite. As for voters not affiliated with either major party, 37% are more likely to vote for McCain and 28% less likely to do so. Those numbers are a bit more positive than initial reaction to Biden.

Palin is only the second woman to ever be on a major national political ticket after Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984. Her choice is clearly aimed at peeling away disaffected female voters in the Democratic Party still smarting from Hillary Clinton’s failure to grab the nomination – and Barack Obama’s decision not to even consider her for the number two slot. This was clear when Palin praised Ferraro and Clinton -- to the Republican crowd -- following McCain's introduction of her yesterday. Referring to the number of votes Clinton received in the Democratic primaries, she said, "It was rightly noted in Denver this week that Hillary left 18 million cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling in America, but it turns out the women of America aren't finished yet and we can shatter that glass ceiling once and for all."

After McCain's announcement, Clinton issued a statement saying, "We should all be proud of Governor Sarah Palin's historic nomination, and I congratulate her and Senator McCain. While their policies would take America in the wrong direction, Governor Palin will add an important new voice to the debate." Palin is now viewed favorably by 48% of women. That figure includes 80% of Republican women, 23% of Democratic women, and 61% of women not affiliated with either major party.

Forty percent (40%) of voters say Palin was the right choice for McCain. That’s comparable to the 39% who initially said Biden was the right choice for Obama. Following the Democratic National Convention, the number who believed Biden was the right choice grew to 47%. It will be especially significant to see where Palin’s numbers are following the GOP gathering next week.

When Biden was selected, just over half (52%) of Democrats believed he was the right choice. Sixty-three percent (63%) of Republicans say McCain picked the right running mate in Palin, and 40% of unaffiliated voters agree. A week ago, 31% of unaffiliateds said the same about Obama’s selection.

Republicans were evenly divided as to whether Biden was the right choice for Obama, but Democrats strongly reject Palin as McCain’s best option. Only 22% of those in Obama’s party say Palin was the right choice, while 47% disagree.

Just 29% of voters say Palin is ready to be president if necessary, ten points below the 39% who said the same a week ago about Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 36-year member of the Senate. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Republican voters say she is ready along with 32% of unaffiliated voters and 11% of Democrats.

Democrats already have begun to attack Palin for a lack of Washington experience even though the message of their party's presidential ticket is change. One of the reasons McCain clearly chose Palin is because she is the ultimate Washington outsider, even coming from the state on the continental United States that is furthest from the Nation's Capital. Joe Biden has been in the Senate since Palin was nine years old.

By the end of the Democratic National Convention, the number who said Biden was ready to be President grew by ten points to 49%. Again, it will be especially significant to see where Palin’s numbers are following the Republican National Convention.

In Alaska, the 44-year old Palin's job performance as governor gets good or excellent marks from 64% of voters statewide.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.