Poll: Please Palin, Don't Run

Will she or won't she?

That's the question as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin prepares to take part in numerous Tea Party Express rallies across the country and possibly announce her candidacy over the weekend.

But it appears influential Republicans across South Carolina are overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the prospects of a Palin candidacy.

According to a survey of GOP leaders in South Carolina and two other early-voting states, 81 percent of the 151 people responding said Palin should not run. Only 15 percent said she should run, with 3 percent undecided.

"Sarah is a very polarizing gal," said one Republican polled. "Her getting in wouldn't be helpful."

"Her time has come and gone," said another. "She's a 'reality show star' now, and that limits her credibility in the political arena."

The Patch-Huffington Post Power Outsiders poll of Republican voters in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina comes on the heels of a of those queried were satisfied with the current crop of GOP candidates.

They might not want Palin to run, but the Republicans polled do seem to have a lot of respect for the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Seventy-six percent described her as someone who "takes stands on issues you agree with," although only about half of the respondents said they think she would make a good president.

The results come from the third in a series of weekly surveys looking to gauge what outside-the-beltway Republicans think of the race for the GOP nomination. Each week, our local Patch editors will be asking influential South Carolina Republicans questions about the presidential campaign, and we'll report the results here.

We’re still looking to expand our list of influential members of both parties in South Carolina. If you’d like to participate, email chris.winston@patch.com and we’ll connect you with the appropriate Patch reporter.