CEDARBURG, Wis. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin have received a rousing reception in their first joint appearance in a politically vital state after the GOP convention.

McCain and Palin were loudly cheered and applauded on the main street of Cedarburg, Wis., a suburb of about 11,000 people near Milwaukee. More than a thousand people jammed the streets to see McCain and the Alaska governor, his suprise choice for the vice presidential nomination who proved to be the hit of the convention.

Many people in the audience held digital cameras and video cameras above their heads to get a shot as McCain's "Straight Talking Express" bus rolled into town. Palin said it was their intention to bring their campaign from the convention to "small town America" like the small town in Alaska where she once was mayor.