THE VILLAGES -- Republican vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin made her first Central Florida campaign stop Sunday afternoon to hold a rally for Sen. John McCain at the Marketplace in Sumter Landing.
Thousands gathered in The Villages to see the Alaskan governor.
Palin came to Central Florida early, arriving in Orlando Friday for her first visit to the Sunshine State.
Palin talked to the crowd about bringing real leadership to Washington in November. She also spent a lot of time talking about the economy. Palin said McCain called for Wall Street reforms years ago and that it's time for someone to take office who will act quickly to fix things up.
"We need serious reform on Wall Street and we need better regulation. It's like Sen. McCain said just yesterday, we don't need a dozen federal agencies doing the job badly, we need the best agencies doing the job right," Palin said.
Palin also went on the attack against Barack Obama and Joe Biden. She accused them of wanting to raise taxes by billions of dollars.
Palin also said the GOP campaign is the only one that actually has a record of making change happen.
The Villages, known to be predominantly Republican, has attracted some big names to the area. Still, News 13 found people -- women, in particular -- both for and against Palin as McCain's running mate.
"It is an excitement that, it's hard to put your finger on, but it swells you up inside with pride that only in America, we can do all this," said Jo Weber, a member of the Republican Club at The Villages. "I think that's the most important thing, and then, to have a candidate so well spoken and has brought so much [of] an aura to the campaign is just amazing."
Joan Watterson, another resident of The Villages, had a different view of Palin than many of her neighbors.
"She is a woman hater instead of a woman helper, and I just can't imagine anybody not seeing that," Watterson told News 13. "Everything that she says -- I mean, those of us who are women, we're not going to do too well under her, and it bothers me to think that she one day might be president."
It is becoming increasingly clear that Florida is a big battleground state for candidates. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made a campaign swing through the state Saturday, including a stop in Daytona Beach. See related story.
Stay with News 13 for complete coverage of Palin's visit to Central Florida, and complete election coverage in Florida Decides.
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