A Pew Research Center poll conducted from Oct. 23 to 26 found 93 percent of registered voters that categorize themselves as conservative Republicans backed McCain.

A number of influential conservative Christians including Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention have pegged Palin as the rising star of the Republican Party's social conservative wing.

If McCain loses on Tuesday, this puts her near or at the front of the Republican pack for 2012.

"I think that she will be a major contender ... and she will certainly be in the running," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, an influential conservative lobby group with strong evangelical ties.

POLARIZING

But the same qualities that endear her to this wing of the Republican Party repel some moderates within its ranks.

Concerns about the Palin pick have been mentioned by high profile Republicans who defected to Obama, such as Kenneth Adelman, a hawkish aide to former President Ronald Reagan, and retired US Gen Colin Powell, a former secretary of state under President George W. Bush.

There are also jitters about Palin's lack of economic experience in the midst of a financial and banking crisis.

"The gap of sensibility between the social right and the economic right is severe. ... An earthquake has taken place and the party can't straddle the fissures," said Todd Gitlin, a professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.

Still, if McCain wins he will owe Palin and this wing of the party a huge debt which could give her a lot of clout. She would clearly be viewed as their White House insider.

... contd.