November 23, 2009 12:29 PM

Polls Show Sarah Palin Still Viable for 2012

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Republicans
(AP)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is keeping quiet on her plans for 2012, but recent polls and political analysis suggest it's too soon to count her out as a political heavyweight.

Palin has drummed up a great deal of media attention on her nationwide book tour, which takes the former GOP vice presidential candidate to Iowa next month. A new poll out of the state -- a key state in presidential primaries -- shows that Republicans in the state highly approve of Palin.

As many as 68 percent of Iowa Republicans view Palin favorably, according to the Des Moines Register's Iowa poll. Palin ranked higher than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who won 66 percent of Iowa Republicans' approval. She also beat out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is viewed favorably by 58 percent of the state's GOP voters.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa caucuses in his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, still has higher approval ratings than Palin at 70 percent, according to the poll. A comparison with Huckabee's numbers also reveal Palin's weaknesses. Twice as many Iowa Republicans hold an unfavorable view of Palin as they do of Huckabee. Meanwhile, moderates view Huckabee more than twice as favorably as Palin.

Photos: Sarah Palin's Book Tour

Fifty-five percent of all Iowa residents, including Democrats, hold an unfavorable opinion of Palin, according to the poll, while only 8 percent say they are unsure about her.

While it could appear that voters have already formed an opinion about the former governor, her book tour may be boosting her popularity. Palin's popularity numbers have edged up in national polls in recent months, to the point where they nearly equal to President Obama's, Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Malcolm acknowledges that Palin elicits strongly negative views from many voters.

"On the other hand," he writes, "35 months before the 2008 election, that Illinois senator was such a nobody that no one even thought to ask such a question about him. Things seem to change much more quickly these days."

It is too early to say who would prevail as the 2012 GOP presidential candidate, writes the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza. Still, he goes on to name Palin the Republican with the most influence in the party's direction.

"After last week, it's impossible to argue about Palin's influence in the party," Cillizza writes. "She can draw big crowds, sell books and command the biggest media stages... Whether they admit it or not, all establishment Republicans wonder about what Palin has planned for 2010 and 2012."

While Palin is perceived to represent the conservative core of the Republican party, a local GOP chairman noted after her recent visit to Roanoke, Va. that she drew many non-Republicans to her book signing.

"She brings out a different crowd," Salem Republican Party Chairman Greg Habeeb told the Roanoke Times. "She taps into something that the Republican Party really needs to tap into."

More Coverage of Sarah Palin:

Palin Dines, Prays with Billy Graham
Tina Fey Reprises Sarah Palin Impersonation
DNC: Sarah Palin is "Dangerous"
Rules Differ for Palin at Military Bases
McCain Aide Nicolle Wallace: Sarah Palin's Claims are "Fiction"
Fact Checking Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue"
Marc Ambinder: Palin Needs to Take Herself Seriously
CBS News Poll: Fewer Than 1 in 4 Have Favorable View of Palin
Is Palin Selling Books or Settling Scores?
Exclusive: Palin Accounts Disputed by McCain Aides
Fact Check: Palin Seems to Misrepresent Timeline on Daughter's Pregnancy
Fact Check: Palin Contradicts Her Own Version Of Events With Oprah

Add a Comment See all 41 Comments
by snorp73 November 26, 2009 4:05 PM EST
All Sarah Palin has to do to beat Obama in a landslide victory is be honest. She has two major factors against her; however. One being sexism (I am a man) and one being racism. If Obama runs again in 2012, he has 95% of the black vote regardless. They all still love him while his support among hispanics and whites have dropped massively in his first year. So, Palin has to dodge sexists Republican elites like David Brooks.

The grassroots conservatives are the movement making Palin an unstoppable force, virtually masses rejecting big-corporation Republicans and liberal candidates who get the donations from Wall Street.

Palin has offered many common sense solutions to turning this country around without radicalizing crucial areas we have grown accustomed to. For example, ramping up domestic supplies of energy to provide jobs and lower our dependence on foreign countries. Lower taxes on all businesses to develop more jobs and increase buying power to consumers like us who pay the price for common goods and services. Creating a situation where Americans are taxed less but make more - thus the Treasury retaining MORE tax revenue instead of less resulting in a small deficit which results in less dependence on China.

We are the United States of America. It remains our job to be leaders in innovation where the services industry continues to expands, jobs in IT industries, improvements in health care....

Right now we are dependent:

A.) Dependent on government
B.) Dependent on Humana and Blue Cross
C.) Dependent on Iran
D.) Dependent on China
E.) Dependent on lobbyists

What good is it to hand over more control to the government as Obama and his administration and this Congress continues to suggest we do? Not one industry taken under their wing has done well under their control. And all in all, we still have the dependence, it's just been SHIFTED to the federal gov't.

My vote and my free market money WILL support Sarah Palin in 2012.
Reply to this comment
by anotherview2-2009 November 26, 2009 9:36 AM EST
"Party of the rich" sleepyric
At least one liberal got it right.as evidenced by who was invited to Obama's "state dinner". Then again maybe the party of the elite supported by the emotional rantings of the left fits better.
Reply to this comment
by anotherview2-2009 November 26, 2009 9:22 AM EST
Viable? If anyone doesn't think Palin can run the country, then they have their head in a hole. I am watching how well orchestrated Palin's rollout and continuing book tour has been done. It is clear that Palin has a very effective team supporting her and this is most likely one of the best planned re-introduction's of a potential candidate. I look for a re-match with Couric and Palin where Palin will smoke Couric because Palin will not be struggling with sticking to an in-effective " Script". If Sarah can take on Biden, Couric will be slaughtered.
Reply to this comment
by Cattzen November 24, 2009 5:02 PM EST
I didn't believe that George W. Bush was a real viable Presidential Candidate and, alot of Americans voted for him...TWICE!!
Reply to this comment
by lileoj November 24, 2009 7:18 AM EST
YES Repubs PLEASE use Palin for 2012!! I can GAURRANTEE YOU WILL LOSE with her PLEASE pick her!! =)
Reply to this comment
by Unclemercer November 24, 2009 6:11 AM EST
Charming, confident, capable Gov. Sarah Palin is fully prepared to lead America forward to peace, prosperity, and power in the coming decade.
Reply to this comment
by lileoj November 24, 2009 7:21 AM EST
No more drugs for Uncle Mercer please. He's spouting stupidity now.
by sleepyric November 24, 2009 8:38 AM EST
as soon as she grows a brain...
by owlgal November 24, 2009 5:46 AM EST
As a Republican that is enough to make me change to an independent.
Could they really be dumb enough to miss taking advantage of all the mistakes the Dems are making by putting her in the picture?
Reply to this comment
by BeckieBest November 23, 2009 11:38 PM EST
Run Sarah...run!!

Please?!
Reply to this comment
by bann65 November 23, 2009 11:32 PM EST
And WHO do you dems like, Oblama, Hillary, Biden, Holder, Crazy Barney Frank, LOL................still laughing...............
Reply to this comment
by sleepyric November 24, 2009 8:41 AM EST
and who do the repubs have?? Fake suntan Boehner? Slick hair Cantor?
Oh, maybe the C Street gang and their mistresses??? Or maybe Romney again (singing Who Let The Dogs Out).....pathetic...GOP favors BIG BUSINESS, and big biz only. Party of the rich, and the hell with the middle class.
by hungry1968-17 November 23, 2009 9:03 PM EST
Where Is Sarah Palin's High School Diploma?


I'm not saying it's a fact that Sarah Palin never actually graduated from high school, but it does seem pretty strange that I've never seen her original high school diploma anywhere. What exactly is she hiding? Why hasn't she made her original high school diploma available!?

Palin needs to do something to put these rumors to rest. All she has to do is produce her original high school diploma. What's the big deal? Why can't she do it? What is she hiding?

It wouldn't be that bad if she dropped out of high school because it's pretty clear that even if she did actually go to high school, she wasn't paying attention in class. The bad part is that she has thus far not set the record straight. People are asking questions!
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