Sarah Palin's Polling Numbers Steady After Resignation

Sarah Palin resigned from her post as Governor of Alaska on July 3, 2009. Sean Parnell, current Lieutenant Governor, will officially inherit her position at the end of the month.

The decision was two-fold. Palin, knowing she would not run for re-election, said that it was best for Alaska that she pass the torch instead of finishing out her term as a lame duck. She also argues that she is doing the state a favor by stepping down and saving the state from all the money they would have to spend in dealing with all the ethics complaints against her.

Some pundits believe that this decision will allow her to begin campaigning for the 2012 Republican primary. Critics from both the left and right have been very vocal in questioning her decision. With most believing that Americans are weary to vote in someone for the highest office in the land if she could not even handle being Governor of Alaska.

But the polling numbers suggest that her position in the 2012 race has remained steady. The latest poll before her resignation was Mike Huckabee (22%), Sarah Palin (21%), and Mitt Romney (21%) in a statistical three-way dead heat. The earliest poll after her resignation had Romney 25%, Palin 24%, and Huckabee 22%.

As new poll numbers continue to flow in, the issue that is going to be most discussed is whether or not Palin has hurt or helped her chances in 2012. But as of now, each of the three leading Republican candidates for 2012 have consistently been bunched up at the top unchanged from the news of Palin's resignation.