Donald Trump, Sarah Palin Get Bad News From 2012 Poll

(Reuters) - Nearly 60 percent of Americans would never support a Republican presidential bid by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin or real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, according to a new poll Wednesday.

But the Quinnipiac University poll of 1,408 voters found that about half would consider or be enthusiastic about backing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney or former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee in the November 2012 election.

"It is difficult to get a handle on the 2012 Republican race. Many contenders are not well known and many who are known are not liked," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

"Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are in the best shape. Sarah Palin and Donald Trump suffer from the reality that, as our mothers told us, 'You never get a second chance to make a first impression,'" he said.

Trump, who has been testing the waters for a possible 2012 run for the Republican presidential nomination, said he would announce something before June -- after his reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice," ends its season on May 22.

Palin was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and is keeping her supporters guessing on whether she will run.

Among the 613 Republican and independent Republican-leaning voters, the poll showed Romney as favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination with 18 percent, followed by Huckabee and Palin with 15 percent and Trump with 12 percent.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich each have 5 percent, while former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann and both on 4 percent.

The margin of error for that subset was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The telephone poll, conducted between April 16 and May 1, was released on the eve of a debate in South Carolina among a handful of potential Republican candidates, none of them high-profile names.

The error margin for the larger group was 2.6 points.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[haregewoin]

04:17 PM on 05/17/2011

I think Sarah Palin and Donald trump should run for president. It does not matter which is which as this prospect only has an entertainment value of parading these two knuckle heads. The Donald with his bird of paradise coiff and blithers and the Palin with her notes on her palms and her clueless comments will sell a lot of televison spots!

[csneagle45]

12:40 PM on 05/09/2011

Though highly unlikely, I think the best tactic for the GOP in the 2012 presidential contest is to NOT nominate a candidate! Face it, they can't beat Obama. It would serve them and the country better to concentrate on keeping the house as a way to continue to take part in ruining, sorry running the country in any meaningful way.

[Clevelandinwi]

12:08 PM on 05/07/2011

How did the poll break down the teabagger/racist vote?

[Clevelandinwi]

12:06 PM on 05/07/2011

I love that one headlind: Given a choice between trump and palin, most voters chose suicide.

[Clevelandinwi]

12:05 PM on 05/07/2011

Go donald and sara - the twenty-four news cycle needs you.

[Clevelandinwi]

12:03 PM on 05/07/2011

Is this daniels from Indiana the same guy who was gw's budget director? If so, it that on his resume?

[Easy420forMe]

11:33 AM on 05/07/2011

education matters! it can take that 40% and make it 20%.

[Roadrun]

09:20 AM on 05/07/2011

So this means that the dumbing down of America is still working?

[Ron Phillips]

03:33 AM on 05/07/2011

I read this as "40% of Americans are dangerously stupid."

[RonK Michigan]

08:06 AM on 05/07/2011

Agree - "proven", another large bunch are "suspect".

[MRb1000]

03:23 AM on 05/07/2011

Dumb and Dumber1 You take your pick! How did they get in school. Is Alaska a state. Oh was the Donald born in Canada? LOL

[1deepstar]

11:36 PM on 05/06/2011

Sure... you would think the GOP would have learned something from the McCain/Palin run.... namely, don't field candidates that probably will not only lose but will damage GOP image beyond imagining... Frankly, I have to wonder why any of them bother when everybody including the eventual nominee knows that they won't win the presidency....

[x men]

10:48 PM on 05/06/2011

Has anybody seen Trig's birth certificate?

[Clevelandinwi]

12:04 PM on 05/07/2011

It's in Hawaii.

[LeftLeanWing]

10:14 PM on 05/06/2011

Trump - Palin 2012
You're Fired - I Quit

[LeftHandUTurn]

09:58 PM on 05/06/2011

Oh, but don't let the nearly 60% discourage you, Palin & Trump-- Go ahead and run, we desperately need the hilarity in 2012. The crop that was 'debating' on Fox last night were drab shades in comparison..

[oldgeek1]

08:47 PM on 05/06/2011

All they care about is how much money they can raise.

[rchwel]

10:17 PM on 05/06/2011

You got that correct and pocket whats left . Fanned