Dave Weigel has already covered the fact that Sarah Palin has perhaps received too much credit for the wins of some of her endorsed candidates on Tuesday night. He's correct- the victories of Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad, and Carly Fiorina hardly suggest Presidential momentum for Palin in those states.
Our South Carolina polling found that among supporters of Nikki Haley 27% wanted Palin to be the party's nominee for President in 2012 compared to 25% for Newt Gingrich and 21% for Mitt Romney. An advantage sure but nothing earth shattering- the Palin endorsement helped Haley but it wasn't a game changer by any means.
The Palin endorsement of Branstad was completely meaningless. Its impact was limited by the lateness of it and Branstad's lead in the polls declined after the Palin nod- that doesn't mean it hurt Branstad but simply that it was irrelevant.
Our California polling found that when supporters of Fiorina looked toward the 2012 Presidential contest 32% supported Gingrich, 25% for Romney, and only 21 favored Palin. That's just further indication that Fiorina's big victory had very little to do with passionate Palin supporters jumping on her train.
Did Palin's endorsement have some minimal positive impact for the candidates she supported? Probably. Does it suggest big momentum for 2012? Not at all.
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