Fox News has decided not to renew its contract with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee’s latest step away from the political spotlight. Indeed, we’ve come a long way from the media whirlwind that greeted Palin when Sen. John McCain put her on the 2008 ticket; Palin’s standing with Republicans and Americans overall has fallen dramatically since then.
Palin’s net favorability rating (favorable minus unfavorable) among all Americans1 has dropped more than 40 percentage points, from +18 percentage points to -24 points by mid-2014, according to a local regression. Meanwhile, her net favorability rating among Republicans has declined more than 55 percentage points, from +83 percentage points to +27 points by mid-2013.
Palin has receded from the national spotlight to the extent that we have very little data since 2012. No live interview poll has asked Americans about her favorable rating in almost a year.