| | Poll: Palin gets lowest vote of confidence since Dan Quayle
 Sen. John McCain's new running mate has some catching up to do.
Most Americans have never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and 39 percent of voters said they were uncertain if she was qualified to lead as president should it become necessary, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup poll.
That is the lowest level of trust that Americans have shown in a potential vice president since the elder George Bush chose Dan Quayle in 1988.
Sen. Barack Obama's running mate Joe Biden did far better with 57 percent of those polled saying he was qualified to run the country.
The McCain campaign hopes to capitalize on the Republican National Convention next week to present Palin to the American public.
"Americans are just beginning to discover that Gov. Palin is an experienced executive who has held office since 1992 and demonstrated time and again her willingness to roll up her sleeves and taken action," says Maria Comella, Palin's spokeswoman for the campaign. "As governor, she has proven to be a real reformer, bucking the establishment to enact sweeping ethics reform, utilize her veto power to cut spending and stand up to big oil to enact legislation to develop Alaska's energy resources."
McCain announced Palin as his running mate after having met her twice: once several months ago and again the day before introducing her, Reuters reported.
The choice has drawn harsh criticism from Democrats, who view the choice as pure political maneuvering.
"No one knows whether Sarah Palin could be a competent president, which shows how highly political and potentially reckless this choice is," said New York Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, in a statement.
Even in Alaska, where Palin is extremely popular, there are those who doubt her capability.
"Republicans rightfully have criticized the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, for his lack of experience, but Palin is a neophyte in comparison," wrote Alaska's Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
But conservatives have poured money into the McCain campaign in support of Palin's strong history of anti-abortion views and a record of confronting entrenched interests during less than two years as governor of Alaska.
"We raised over $4 million on line," on Friday, said senior adviser Steve Schmidt, who is in charge of day-to-day campaign operations. He said the campaign had never made more than $1 million in a single day over the Internet before.
Wire services contributed to this report.
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