Posted on 11/07/2008 8:31:02 AM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republican voters say Alaska Governor Sarah Palin helped John McCain’s bid for the presidency, even as news reports surface that some McCain staffers think she was a liability.
Only 20% of GOP voters say Palin hurt the party’s ticket, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Six percent (6%) say she had no impact, and five percent (5%) are undecided.
Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans have a favorable view of Palin, including 65% who say their view is Very Favorable. Only eight percent (8%) have an unfavorable view of her, including three percent (3%) Very Unfavorable.
When asked to choose among some of the GOP’s top names for their choice for the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, 64% say Palin. The next closest contenders are two former governors and unsuccessful challengers for the presidential nomination this year -- Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with 12% support and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts with 11%.
Three other sitting governors – Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Charlie Crist of Florida and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota – all pull low single-digit support.
These findings echo a survey earlier this week which found that Republicans were happier with their vice presidential candidate than with their presidential nominee. Seventy-one percent (71%) said McCain made the right choice by picking Palin as his running mate, while only 65% said the party picked the right nominee for president.
The key for the 44-year-old Palin will be whether she can broaden her base of support. An Election Day survey found that 81% of Democrats and, more importantly, 57% of unaffiliated voters had an unfavorable view of her.
Palin, Alaska’s first woman governor, was elected to a four-year term in 2006. She was largely unknown nationally until McCain chose her to be the party’s vice presidential candidate. She quickly became a darling of the GOP’s conservative base and energized the party’s rank-and-file.
Speculation about her future has run high for weeks when it appeared Barack Obama was likely to beat McCain. Already this week there is talk of her possibly taking the seat of embattled Republican Senator Ted Stevens if he manages to hang on and win won reelection despite recent federal felony convictions. Stevens would have to step down if his appeal of the convictions is unsuccessful.
Palin could also run for another term as Governor in the state where she still enjoys very high approval ratings.
Among Republicans, 66% of men and 61% of women say Palin is their choice for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Sixty-six percent (66%) of GOP women have a Very Favorable view of her, as do 64% of men.
While Palin’s high favorables suggest she has a bright political future in the Republican Party, it is important to note that favorites four years out from a presidential election quite often do not get the nomination. Obama, for example, was just an Illinois state senator four years ago, and Hillary Clinton appeared a shoo-in for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.
Similarly, vice presidential candidates historically have seldom risen to the highest office by election.
Republicans are closely divided over the two most important issues in the next presidential election: 31% say economic issues, 30% say national security. Fifteen percent (15%) list fiscal issues, followed by cultural issues (12%) and domestic issues (6%). Five percent (5%) are undecided. Palin is overwhelmingly the top choice for 2012 among voters in all these categories.
Over two-thirds of Republicans describe themselves as conservative in terms of foreign policy, fiscal and social issues.
Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans have a favorable view of Huckabee, including 46% Very Favorable. Sixteen percent (16%) regard him unfavorably.
Eighty-one percent (81%) view Romney favorably, with 45% Very Favorable. Fifteen percent (15%) have an unfavorable opinion of him.
Jindal, Pawlenty, and Crist are far less known than the other candidates. Roughly 40% of GOP voters have no opinion one way or the other of these three Republican Governors.
McCain was in losing mode when Palin bucked their defeatism. McCain, probably on the advice of staffers, gave up Michigan. Palin said, “Send me!” I never thought McCain was a loser (thought a lot of things about him, but not that.) but I think he had a loser mentality advising him. These are the same rats jumping the ship the day before the election leaking stuff about Palin. Rats like these are professional political staffers who, when their candidate begins to go down, are looking for their next job. Part of that process is to NOT let the blame for the loss be pinned on them. Thus the Palin blameshifting.
I first observed this when I was an intern on Capitol Hill in the 70’s for a losing Congressman. Staffers were selling him out right in front of me, no shame. They work for whomever, cross the aisle, no problem. They are not principled. They are technicians, often having disdain for the person they work for.
She was a “drag” on the ticket...
Palin on the ticket was the only thing to drag me out of not supporting a RINO into voting for him. Actually she was the only one on the ticket I was voting for.
If she is as smart as I think she is she will take some time to unwind and rest up and then start to network with conservative leaders in the GOP and work to reestablish conservative control of the party. This can be done and in fairly short order if it is started now while the party is in disarray and the RINOs are discredited. And if she does this she needs to reach out to the talk radio barons and to the rightwing blogosphere.
ALSO what is up with those boys at fox???? They have been trashing her also. Greta is the only one sticking up for her.
Spinning off of Rush... McCain proved to be too heavy to drag across the finnish line.
We should collect about $250-500 here and send her a HUGE bouquet of flowers from the freepers
BUMPED for The Truth!!! ;)
After the black Jimmy Carter, could very well come the female Ronald Reagan.
At a minimum, it PROVES a thirst by republicans for CONSERVATIVES!
Sarah made me so proud of her.
My heart is heavy at the personal attacks on her and her family.
Wrote her a thank you note and will keep her and hers in my prayers.
Hmmmm let's see, who has enough money to buy all the snotty negative pundits??? That's a hard one.../s
Why?
I like it.
Assuming McCain would have hired much of his staff into his administration had he won. I think we seriously dodged a bullet by McCain losing. He would have been an absolute disaster as POTUS. At least we can live to fight another day, McCain may have very likely killed off the GOP for good.
She was the only reason I donated to the ticket. I called the rnc and made them take me off their mailing list. F the rnc.
Thank you Sarah and FU mccain.
Shepard Smith is an Ole Miss, Trent Lott, Hotty Toddy butt boy, looks pretty, has nice hair, but would sell his momma out for a vote or an extra rating point.
Palin favorability among conservatives, 100%.
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