Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage (Zac Gooch/KTUU-DT) |
In September 2007, just 10 months into her term, one poll put Palin's approval rating at an unprecedented 87 percent.
"Her legacy in many ways is energizing people who were not involved in government before -- the people who sat on the sidelines and grumbled about it," said Larry Persily, former Palin staffer. "Palin came in and they enthusiastically fell in love with her and her politics."
"She's young, she's attractive, she's intelligent, and she's a superstar -- and a bit of a lightening rod," said Ben Brown, Juneau Republican Party Chairman. "All those things increase overall participation."
"That is a very sad definition of great," said veteran State Capitol journalist Bob Tcaz. "Got the most cameras trained on her per minute of their administration -- that's not greatness. That's just, you know, celebrity stuff."
"I think Sarah Palin had more opportunity and political capital than any single public figure has had in Alaska state history since territorial days," said Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage. "I believe she could have used that political capital to bring rural Alaska to a whole new level."
In May of this year, Palin's popularity had dropped by more than thirty points but is still higher than most other governors.
Contact Rhonda McBride at rmcbride@ktuu.com
