Poll: Palin now third in favorable rating among Republicans and leaners

In one sense, the poll still finds Palin near the top of a list of eight potential contenders for the GOP nomination.
The former vice presidential candidate scores a 58 percent favorable rating, close to the 61 percent for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and 60 percent for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and better than the 55 percent that onetime House speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) received.

But Palin’s unfavorable numbers are significantly higher than they are for any of these possible competitors. Fully 37 percent of all Republicans and GOP-leaning independents now hold a negative view of her, a new high.

In another first, fewer than 50 percent of Republican-leaning independents — 47 percent — hold favorable views of Palin…

This telephone poll was conducted March 10 to 13, and included interviews with 414 self-identified Republicans and GOP-leaners. The margin of sampling error is five percentage points.