Sarah Palin's Unfavorability Rating Growing

Palin's Fall, by the Numbers

Sarah Palin's favorability continues to slide in the polls. It is beginning to have collateral damage - her popularity is falling in her home state as well.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has watched her star rise with her appointment to the number two spot on the Republican ticket. Her approval ratings after her introduction to the rest of the nation were very high. But as the people of the country got to know her a little better, as her extreme religious and political views became public knowledge, as her interview with Katie Couric revealed an unprepared vacuousness, and as Tina Fey kept exaggerating, Sarah Palin's start went on the descendant.

And it is still descending.

Governor Palin's Favorability In Alaska

One of the most common used lines by Senator John McCain to describe his running mate is that she is the "most popular governor in America," which is a disingenuous statement at best, considering hardly anyone knew who she was before she became his running mate. Where McCain gets his line from is that her percentage of favorability in Alaska is higher than any other governor in their respective state. If she had been put up against another governor in a another state, or perhaps placed in the pool of 50 governors for a national poll, most people would have simply said, "Sarah Who?"

But that all changed when Senator John McCain pronounced her his pick for Republican vice presidential running mate.

The Newsminer.com reports that Palin's favorability among Alaskans prior to her becoming McCain's second was roughly 90%. Not only did she poll well with her fellow Republicans, but she had a firm following of Democrats and Independents as well. But her Troopergate ethics problems, her billing the state for trips and at home work (when her office was only 40 miles away), and her rally speeches and interviews have cut considerably into the Democratic and Independent side of her support.

An October 23 poll conducted by Ann Hayes shows Palin's popularity among Alaskans at 63%. A Rasmussen Poll released on October 29 shows her favorability at 61%.