A new Marist poll has a mix of good news and bad news for Sarah Palin — and unmitigated good news for Democrats. On the one hand, she remains a plausible candidate for the GOP nomination in 2012, but in a general election she would lose to President Obama in a landslide.
Among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, the 2012 field stands at Mitt Romney 21%, Sarah Palin 20%, Mike Huckabee 19%, Newt Gingrich 10%, Bobby Jindal 5%, and Tim Pawlenty 1%. But in a general election, it’s Obama 56%, Palin 33%.
Also, Palin’s overall favorable rating is only 37%, with 43% unfavorable. But among Republicans, it’s a whopping 73% favorable, to only 16% unfavorable.
From the pollster’s analysis:
Is the GOP nomination within her sights? You betcha! Palin could carry her intense following into key caucus and primary states. But, herein lies the rub. Palin trails President Obama by 23 percentage points nationwide in this same Marist Poll.
Cause for GOP worry? Absolutely.
