Late Wednesday, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin slammed the door on launching a presidential bid. Palin, who rocketed to prominence as John McCains running mate in 2008, had left the door open to running for the Republican presidential nomination but had done little to set the stage for a campaign, especially in early states like Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida.
After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for president of the United States, Palin wrote supporters in an email, read nationally by radio host Mark Levin. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.
My decision is based upon a review of what common-sense conservatives and independents have accomplished, especially over the last year, continued Palin, who resigned her office in Alaska in the summer of 2009 -- more than a year before her term ended. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office -- from the nation's governors to congressional seats and the presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the fundamental transformation of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.
Despite her high profile, Palin has been sinking in recent polls.
A poll from Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday found Palin in fourth place among the Republican presidential hopefuls -- behind former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, businessman Herman Cain and Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Palin garnered 9 percent in the poll and she had been pulling in the teens in previous Q-polls.
A poll released by CBS News on Tuesday night found that only 23 percent of likely Republican primary voters wanted Palin to run for president -- while 74 percent wanted her to remain on the sidelines. Palin was seen as favorable by 41 percent of Republicans in the CBS News poll while 33 percent of them viewed her as unfavorable. Among all voters in the CBS News poll, Palin was upside down -- 50 percent saw her unfavorably while only 21 percent viewed her in a favorable light.
In hypothetical general election matchups at the state and national levels, President Barack Obama has consistently outpolled Palin, doing far better against the former Alaska governor than he did against other Republican hopefuls.
Palin insisted on Wednesday that she would remain active on the public stage.
I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for president, where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables, noted Palin. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.
Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation, added Palin in conclusion. In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the president, retaking the Senate, and maintaining the House.
With Palin and Gov. Chris Christie announcing this week that they would not run, the field of Republican presidential candidates appears largely set, though former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has made noise about making another attempt at the GOP nomination.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
