ORLANDO, Fla.-On the surface, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin seems to be a champion broadly embraced by evangelicals. Yet in recent weeks, some polls suggest that she may not be significantly boosting support for her ticket. Why? In the Sunbelt and heartland suburbs where middle class evangelicals determine the outcome of national elections, I detect a growing unease with Palin as a potential president.

(Mark I. Pinsky, former religion writer for the Orlando Sentinel, is author of “A Jew Among the Evangelicals: A Guide for the Perplexed”)