Poll: Palin shouldn't be national figure

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The majority of Americans say they would not like to see Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin become a national political figure, a poll indicates.

A Gallup Poll released Thursday found that 45 percent of respondents said they wanted the former Republican vice presidential nominee to become a national figure, while 52 percent said they would not.

On party lines, more than 75 percent of Republicans surveyed said they wanted Palin to emerge as a major national political figure, compared to 43 percent of independents and just 20 percent of Democrats who share that opinion.

Since Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Palin's defeat on Election Day, Palin has appeared in several national interviews. She also delivered a major speech Thursday at the Republican Governors Association meetings in Miami.

Gallup said in its analysis that Palin's post-election media appearances have fueled speculation that she is interested in playing a major role on the national political stage, possibly angling for a presidential run in 2012 or 2016.

The poll is based on results from telephone interviews with 1,010 adults nationwide, aged 18 and older from Friday to Sunday. The maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.