ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
Former <runtime:topic id="PEPLT0007504">Gov. Sarah Palin</runtime:topic> grabbed plenty of headlines this week, from announcing her new TV show to throwing her support behind former running mate John McCain and Tea Party conservatives. She's a polarizing national figure -- and a new poll shows more than half of Alaskans want to continue to see Palin in the spotlight.According to a recent poll by the Dittman Research Corporation, 53 percent of Alaskans want Palin to stay politically active. Among respondents, 17 percent want her to run for president in 2012, while another 36 percent don't -- but they do want her to continue throwing her support behind political candidates.
Some 43 percent of Alaskans polled said they want Palin to stay out of politics and not do anything at all.
"I'd just like to see her disappear, quite frankly," said Anchorage resident Elstun Lauesen.
"Yeah, I like Sarah Palin and I think that she's got some good political views," said Anchorage resident Jaime Pinsonneault. "And I voted for her, I was hoping when she was running for vice-president -- I thought that she would have done a really good job. So I definitely support her."
"I think it's always going to be split, for the rest of time," said <runtime:topic id="PLGEO100101400000000">Alaska</runtime:topic> pollster Ivan Moore. "There will be some people that love her and want her to keep on doing what she's doing, and the other half of people hate her and want her to go away. That's just a fact of life that's probably going to be with us for a long time."
Whether people love her or love to hate her, people seem to agree that Palin will likely be good for Alaska's economy, with some expecting her fame to bring in extra tourism dollars.
Contact Jackie Bartz at jbartz@ktuu.com
