In Minnesota, Republicans were standing and cheering as John McCain, party presidential nominee, brought his acceptance speech to a close Thursday night.

The enthusiasm spread to Indigo Joe’s restaurant in Cumming, where a crowd of about 30 supporters gathered to watch the event on TV.

“We had a lot of people waving as if they were in the convention, so it was a very motivated group that’s excited about the ticket,” said Forsyth County Republican Party Chairman Andrew Miller.

Organized by the John McCain Forsyth County Campaign, the watch party was one of many held throughout the nation.
Local party member Ethan Underwood said Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska who McCain has tapped as his running mate, has stirred excitement.

“I think that has really charged up and energized the party,” he said. “We had a lot of women there and we heard some comments of them saying, ‘I’ve not really voted Republican, but she really brought me over to this side.’”

Underwood said he believes McCain is the “best person for the job.”

“[The ticket] represents what we’re looking for,” he said. “We’re looking for conservative leadership in Washington that’s going to pare down the size of government and strengthen our national defense.”

Despite positive reaction to Palin’s speech Wednesday, Miller said he thought McCain’s speech was “a little better.”

“I think he really gave people an insight into his soul ... which is something you don’t usually get from McCain,” Miller said.

“He talked about his experience, but then he also talked about how that helped shape him into the person who he is now.”