Arkansans in the crowd for John McCain’s acceptance speech Thursday were so emboldened by the Republican presidential nominee’s remarks they predicted an easy McCain win in Arkansas in November.

Jonathan Barnett of Siloam Springs said McCain would win Arkansas by eight points.

“He is on a roll,” Barnett said as hundreds of red, white and blue balloons fell to the floor of Xcel Energy Center just after McCain’s address. “He’s going to be hard to beat in Arkansas.”

“I think we will bury him in November,” Jim Reavis, a Fayetteville delegate, said of Democratic nominee Barack Obama. McCain “showed his character and I think he has a lot more of it than McCain.”

Barnett said that, while the McCain and Obama speaking styles are different, McCain connects to average Americans.

“He’s got a little softer approach,” Barnett said. “He absolutely has a different style. He is just skilled differently.”

Bill Poynter of Texarkana said he fielded telephone calls all night from inspired viewers.

“They were saying how good everything was going,” Poynter said. “All of them were energized and excited, people from both parties.”

Jim Harris of Saline County, who is brother-in-law to former governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, said: “I think McCain’s patriotism has come through. This speech is going to get people who were undecided to come into the McCain camp.”

Harris said undecided voters will be swayed by Republican policy on energy and oil exploration.