Contributions by small donors to the Republican Party have picked up with all the attention showered on vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan said in a phone interview Thursday the party raised “$1.8 million yesterday from small donors. That’s about three to five times what we raise on a normal day.”

It might get better because of positive reviews of Palin’s speech at the national convention Wednesday night in St. Paul. National pundits gave Palin high marks on network broadcasts Wednesday night and Thursday morning for poise and delivery, as well as for jabs at Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain surprised the political world last week by choosing the first-term governor and one time mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a community of fewer than 7,000 residents. Her first big test came with Wednesday’s eagerly awaited speech.

“She took control of the stage, she ad-libbed, she talked about her family,” said Duncan of Inez, Ky. “It was very electrifying.”

Duncan said the better than usual contributions from smaller donors indicates it played well in living rooms of people watching on television, as well as in the convention hall. And, he added, more people are volunteering to work in the McCain-Palin campaign or man phone banks.

“There’s real excitement. She just goes off the charts,” Duncan said of Palin.

Her choice by McCain has drawn criticism from those who say she is too inexperienced to be a heartbeat away from the presidency and Republican activists have responded by criticizing media scrutiny of her record and family.

Immediately after McCain announced her selection last Friday, the Obama campaign put out a statement that Palin’s choice as vice presidential candidate removes experience as an issue. Lack of experience and judgment are criticisms McCain has often leveled at Obama, the first-term Illinois Senator. That was also a line of attack by Obama’s main competitor in Democratic primaries, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

But Duncan said he doesn’t believe Palin diminishes the effectiveness of that argument. Palin has “more executive experience than Obama and (Joe) Biden together,” he said. (Biden is Obama’s vice presidential running mate. McCain also hasn’t held an executive political office although his military career as a fighter pilot insulates him from such criticism.)

Duncan said Obama doesn’t have “the depth of experience and policy to make the decisions a president has to make.”

And, Duncan said, it’s the top of the tickets which swings presidential elections.

“At the end of the day, people are going to make their choice based on Barack Obama and John McCain.”

On matters closer to home, Duncan is optimistic about U.S. Senator Mitch McCon-nell’s race against Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, echoing McConnell’s own campaign themes of Senate seniority and his position as Republican Leader. He feels good about Republican candidate Brett Guthrie in the 2nd Congressional District where he is opposed by fellow state senator, Democrat David Boswell. He said Guthrie is bright, has legislative experience in the Kentucky Senate and has done a good job raising money in his first race for Congress.

He conceded this year poses a difficult climate for Republicans, but said the energy issue plays well for the party and McCain has remained close to Obama in polling, even after the typical bump a candidate receives after the convention.

“From a strategic standpoint, we are extremely well-positioned,” Duncan said. “We’ll have to run an extremely good race, but we’re better positioned than we normally would be” (immediately after the Democratic convention).

Duncan, reflecting the general political calculus on the 2008 presidential race, doesn’t expect McCain or Palin to spend much if any time in Kentucky because McCain has such a wide lead in polls in Kentucky. A presidential race, because of the Electoral College system, is in reality 50 elections. Neither Obama nor McCain is likely to spend much time in states one has already conceded to the other, and Kentucky looks solid for McCain.

Duncan said Kentucky delegates are enjoying the spotlight because with seats on the front row of the convention floor they have a great view of the action and speakers and they’re often shown on network television. They’re excited about their ticket, he said.

“We’re all happy – and tired,” Duncan added.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. He can be reached by e-mail at rellis@ cnhi.com.