Sarah Palin's Worst Poll Yet, Unfavorable With 56% Of Americans
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The potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate has spent a lot of time in the public eye recently in light of a Jan. 8 shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz. that left six dead and 13 wounded including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who was shot in the head at the "Congress on Your Corner" event she was hosting at a local Safeway. The alleged gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday.
"Following the shootings critics suggested Palin's at-times charged political rhetoric and use of a graphic featuring crosshairs may have contributed to the shooter's motivations," CNN reports. "The graphic was part of a website that Palin put up last year, during the divisive debate over health care reform, to highlight 20 congressional districts won by Sen. John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, where Democratic representatives were voting in favor of the legislation."
Though 38 percent of people polled said they have a favorable view of Palin, this figure is down two points from October.
Palin also appears to have lost fans from her independent and female bases: among independents, her unfavorable rating is up 14 points, among women, it's up 10 points.
CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said the hubbub surrounding Palin's website probably didn't directly affect public opinion but may have turned people off.
"Poll results released earlier this week show that most Americans do not blame her website for the shootings in Arizona," he said. "But women and independents - two groups that tend to prefer civility and bipartisanship - may have disliked her combative reaction to suggestions that the website was involved."
The Huffington Post cites another recent poll with little love for Palin:
"Palin's favorability rating has dipped to 38 percent while her unfavorable now stands at 53 percent," according to the USA Today/Gallup poll. "Gallup reports the 38 percent is a new low when it comes to the percentage of Americans who give the former Alaska governor a thumbs up. The 53 percent who dislike Palin is also a new high in Gallup polling. A similar poll in July found 44 percent of Americans viewed her favorably while 47 percent did not."
There's good news for Democrats in the polling world, though.
TPM reports, "President Obama's approval rating improved over the last few weeks, and now so too has his standing in hypothetical 2012 matchups with the leading GOP candidates, according to a new PPP poll."
The survey shows Obama leading potential rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney by five points each in hypothetical 2012 matchups.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Dec. 28 shows Sarah Palin slipping in the public eye when it comes to the Republican Party's 2012 nomination.
Forty-nine percent of Republicans said they would support Palin--"a huge 18-point drop since December of 2008, when two-thirds of GOPers said they were likely to support Palin," Holland said.
Palin has yet to officially confirm a bid for the White House, but she often alludes to it.
During her nationwide Tea Party Express tour, Palin hinted at a 2012 run.
"Mr. Obama, you’re next, because now we can see 2012 from our house," she said.
A recent Time magazine cover story on Palin explores whether the Mama Grizzly wants to be president or just a celebrity:
A presidential candidate used to need a central headquarters and satellite offices in all the early primary states; now all a contender like Palin needs is a cable modem. Working largely from her lakeside house in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin raised millions of dollars, produced three viral Internet videos and endorsed more than seven dozen Republican candidates (most of whom prevailed).
At the same time, however, she worked more on her profile than on her platform, releasing her second best-selling book in two years and starring in her own cable television series and in the process putting as much as $13 million in the bank. Palin has been particularly adroit at keeping her name front and center on both stages, whether jabbing Washington Republicans for their pork-barrel spending or turning up in Hollywood to watch her daughter Bristol advance to the final round of Dancing with the Stars.
Several high profile Republicans including Karl Rove and Ann Coulter have been outspoken in their disapproval or doubt of Palin's ability to represent the party in the White House.
Former Bush administration official Peter Wehner said, "Virtually every time Ms. Palin speaks out, she reinforces some of the worst impressions or deepest concerns many of us have about her. If she were to become the voice and representative of the GOP and the modern conservatism movement, both would suffer a massive rejection."
To reach editor-in-chief Callie Schweitzer, click here.
To follow her on Twitter: @cschweitz
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