Alaska poll: Sen. Begich popular, Palin unpopular
Posted by Joel Connelly, February 8, 2013
Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat in Republican-leaning Alaska, is sure to be targeted by Republicans in 2014, his seat a “must” pickup if the GOP hopes to retake control of Congress’ upper chamber.
But Begich is showing surprising strength and popularity, according to a new survey of the 49th State by Public Policy Polling. He has a 49 percent job approval rating, with only 39 percent disapproving of the job he’s doing. And Begich leads a bevy of likely Republican challengers.
He has a big, big lead — 54-38 percent — over former Gov. and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Palin was recently jettisoned from her pundit’s position by the Fox News Channel. She quit as governor in mid-term to make money.
Palin does have financial resources, but her days of 80 percent popularity ratings are long gone. “Palin’s numbers are a reflection of her continuing to be very unpopular on the home front — 34 percent of voters see her positively to 59 percent with a negative opinion,” the pollster reported.
Only one politician is less popular — 2010 Republican Senate nominee and Tea Party insurgent Joe Miller. Begich would wipe the floor with Miller by a 58-30 percent margin. Miller upset GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Republican primary, only to see Murkowski storm back and win the November election as a write-in — the first successful write-in candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 54 years.
Begich even leads more mainstream Republicans. He has a 47-39 percent advantage over Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell, often dubbed “lite governor” by the Alaska Ear column of the Anchorage Daily News. He runs ahead of blustery, conservative Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan by 47-41 percent.
GOP Gov. Sean Parnell runs even with Begich at 48 percent. But Parnell is up for reelection in 2014. Among Alaskans surveyed, just 13 percent want the governor to opt for a Senate run, while 56 percent would like him to seek reelection. Parnell leads all potential Democratic challengers in the poll.
Begich has walked a careful line. Like an Alaska politician must, he has supported energy development in the Arctic. But he has been critical of Shell Oil’s mishap-prone effort to begin exploratory drilling in Arctic waters of the Chukchi Sea.
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