PPP-65% voters say Sarah Palin had no bearing whatever on their vote (for Miller or Murkowski)

• Public Policy Polling surveyed 805 Republican primary voters in Alaska on 8/27 and 8/28:

  http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_AK_831.pdf

8/31/10, "Contrary to the media spin on the surprise results of last Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary in Alaska, former Governor

• Sarah Palin did not seem to have a decisive influence on Joe Miller’s apparent victory over incumbent Lisa Murkowski
  
• (barring absentee ballot counts).
  

If anything, her impact was minimal, with 65% of those who reported voting in the primary saying Palin’s endorsement had no bearing whatsoever on their vote.

• Only 15% said it was very important, and 20% somewhat important.

In fact, a 39% plurality said that Palin’s endorsement in general makes no difference on who they support, with 35% saying it actually makes them less likely to support her endorsee and
only 26% saying it makes them more likely.

• Feelings on Miller and Palin do, however, seem to correlate, with both getting 51-40 personal favorability marks. Murkowski, meanwhile, has only a tepid 48-46.

As well as voters liking Miller more than Murkowski, the main thrust of his narrow win
seems to have come from the ideology of the voters and the perceived ideologies of the
candidates.

• 59% are conservatives, to only 37% moderates—actually
  
• less conservative than the GOP primary electorates in some other states.

But 53% support the goals of the Tea Party movement (although only 18% identify themselves with the movement, see following, ed), and Miller hitched every limb of his body to that Express. Indeed, a 47% plurality view Murkowski as too liberal, something only 7% say of Miller, whose views are seen as “about right” by a 51% majority, with only 33% saying he is too conservative. 38% think Murkowski’s ideology “about right.” Only slightly fewer, 34%,
see the Republican Party itself as too liberal, than the 35% who see it is “about right.”

• “Sarah Palin can claim credit for putting Joe Miller on the map, but not for carrying him to victory, should he end up prevailing,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.
  

“Instead, the story in Alaska is the same as most other places: the winner was
better liked than the loser, and his views were seen as more in line with the electorate.
Miller is yet another insurgent candidate who proudly claimed the Tea Party mantle.”

• PPP surveyed 805 Republican primary voters on August 27th and 28th. The margin oferror is +/-3.5%.

Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may
introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify."...

• "Alaska Survey Results
• Q1 Did you vote for Joe Miller or Lisa Murkowski in the Senate primary?
• Joe Miller ........................................................ 50%
• Lisa Murkowski ............................................... 50%
  

• Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator LisaMurkowski’s job performance?
• Approve .......................................................... 48%
• Disapprove...................................................... 46%
• Not sure .......................................................... 5%
  

• Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Joe Miller?
  
• Favorable .............. 51%
• Unfavorable........... 40%
• Not sure ................ 10%
  

• Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Sarah Palin?
• Favorable .............. 51%
• Unfavorable........... 40%
• Not sure ................ 9%
  

• Q5 Are you more or less likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Sarah Palin, or does it not make a difference?
• More likely....................................................... 26%
• Less likely ....................................................... 35%
• Doesn't make a difference .............................. 39%
  

• Q6 Do you think that Lisa Murkowski is too liberal, too conservative, or about right?
• Too liberal ....................................................... 47%
• Too conservative............................................. 9%
• About right ...................................................... 38%
• Not sure .......................................................... 5%
  

• Q7 Do you think that Joe Miller is too liberal, too conservative, or about right?
• Too liberal ....................................................... 7%
• Too conservative............................................. 33%
• About right ...................................................... 51%
• Not sure .......................................................... 8%
  

• Q8 Do you approve or disapprove of the current direction of the Republican Party
• Approve .......................................................... 30%
• Disapprove...................................................... 45%
• Not sure .......................................................... 25%
  

• Q9 Do you support or oppose the goals of the ‘Tea Party’ movement?
• Support ........................................................... 53%
• Oppose ........................................................... 28%
• Not sure .......................................................... 19%
  

• Q10 Do you personally identify as a member of the ‘Tea Party’ movement?
  
• Yes.................................................................. 18%
• No ................................................................... 65%
• Not sure .......................................................... 17%
  

• Q11 Do you think the Republican Party is too liberal, too conservative, or about right?
  
• Too liberal ....................................................... 34%
• Too conservative............................................. 24%
• About right ...................................................... 35%
• Not sure .......................................................... 7%

• Q12 Was Sarah Palin’s endorsement in the Senate race very important, somewhat important, or not important at all in who you decided to vote for?
  
• Very important................................................. 15%
• Somewhat important ....................................... 20%
• Not important at all.......................................... 65%
  

• Q13 If you are a liberal, press 1. If a moderate, press 2. If a conservative, press 3.
• Liberal ............................................................. 4%
• Moderate......................................................... 37%
• Conservative................................................... 59%
  

• Q14 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
• Woman ........................................................... 48%
• Man................................................................. 52%
  

• Q15 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to 45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If older than 65, press 4.
  
• 18 to 29........................................................... 6%
• 30 to 45........................................................... 26%
• 46 to 65........................................................... 46%
• Older than 65.................................................. 22%"
  

(Joe Miller is a graduate of Yale and West Point, and is a veteran of the Gulf War. He is also an attorney). ed

• via commenter to RedState.com

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