LAKE MINNETONKA, Minn. - A national radio host told the California delegation to the Republican National Convention Tuesday that he's never gotten such a response from listeners as in the last four days.

The reason, he said at a brunch event, was the addition of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket as the vice presidential nominee.

"It's a historic moment, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it," said Hugh Hewitt, a talk show host and constitutional law professor from Southern California. "This story connects in a way that, as I've said on the radio, middle-aged men have had a hard time getting their arms around."

The energy for Palin is not unlike that many African Americans have for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign, Hewitt said.

Hewitt also said that Palin's acceptance speech, set for prime time Wednesday night, is likely to be the highlight of the entire convention.

He also said that Palin's experience as a small-town mayor brings a different, but not inferior, kind of experience to compare to Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden's experience in the U.S. Senate.

Palin has done the retail politics that will be critical in what Hewitt called an "anti-politics" race.

"This is a populist campaign," Hewitt said. "Sen. McCain doesn't have to communicate, he just has to be Senator McCain."

Unlike most elections, Hewitt predicted, this one may turn on who a vice presidential nominee is, and that benefits Palin.

"I think an enormous number of people will be motivated to go to the polls to vote for her," Hewitt said.