Good Poll Number for Palin

In a hypothetical match-up with Charlie Sheen, Public Policy Polling find that Sarah Palin would win 49-29.

Now, if only Palin can get the Democrats to nominate Sheen…

Going inside the numbers we find, however, that independents prefer Sheen to Palin, 41/36.

However, Sheen’s ability to win is clearly undercut by the fact that he is “one of the most unpopular figures” that PPP has ever polled with a 10% favorability rating and negatives at a whopping 67%.  As we all should know, high negatives make winning electoral office rather difficult.

While it is true that Sheen has a remarkable following on Twitter, it just goes to show that getting attention for oneself does not always translate into useable political popularity in an electoral sense.

Indeed, Palin has 450,245 Twitter followers, a number dwarfed by Sheen’s 2,910,033.

The full poll is here [PDF] where we also find good news for Obama, as he would best Sheen 57-24.

FILED UNDER: Popular Culture, US Politics, ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Chad S says:

    #winning!

  2. wr says:

    And yet millons of people keep watching that damn show!

    (That would be Two and a Half Men, not SP’s Alaska…)

  3. TG Chicago says:

    Going inside the numbers we find, however, that independents prefer Sheen to Palin, 41/36.

    That a result like this could be considered a Good Poll Number for Palin is rather amusing, but it accurately tells the story.

    (not to mention that she couldn’t even get a straight majority over Sheen in the full electorate. But don’t let that stop the True Believers from thinking she could win in 2012)

  4. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    This goes to support my position that most polls are worth whatever you want to make of them.