About 50 percent of those polled had a favorable first impression of Palin, 44, while 37 percent said they had an unfavorable impression, results of the poll released Friday indicate. The remainder were undecided.

Her positive ratings reached 85 percent among Republicans, 81 percent among evangelical, white Protestants and 74 percent of conservatives.

She garnered positive ratings among about 25 percent of Democrats, poll results indicated.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was similarly rated, with a slightly less unfavorable rating and partisanship running in the expected opposite direction, ABC said.

The ABC News poll was conducted by telephone Thursday among a 505 adults by TNS of Horsham, Pa. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.