PRINCETON NJ – Voters in general don’t think much of Sarah Palin and see her endorsement of Donald Trump as more harmful than helpful to his candidacy. But for Republicans and conservative voters in particular, the intended audience as the Iowa caucus nears, a Palin endorsement is a plus, a Rasmussen survey found this week.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey reported Friday that 30% of Likely Republican Voters believe Palin’s endorsement of Trump on Tuesday will help the billionaire developer’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Twenty-four percent (24%) say her endorsement will hurt Trump instead, while 35% say it will have no impact.
By comparison, 62% of Democrats say President Obama’s endorsement of one of the presidential candidates would be important to their vote, although that includes just 26% who say it would be Very Important.
The endorsement by the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, a longtime darling of conservatives, was intended to blunt Senator Ted Cruz’s surging challenge to front-runner Trump among right-leaning Iowa Republicans. Thirty-three percent (33%) of conservative voters think Palin’s endorsement will help Trump, while just as many (34%) say it will have no impact. Only 22% feel the endorsement will hurt his candidacy.