The Hill News

Real estate mogul Donald Trump and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have the highest negative ratings of any of the Republicans who might run for president in 2012.

Sixty-four percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll released Thursday, the most negative of any of the potential candidates. Just 31 percent have a positive opinion of the host of NBC's "The Apprentice."

Trailing Trump was Palin, whom 59 percent of U.S. adults view unfavorably. Thirty-five percent said they had a favorable opinion of the 2008 vice presidential nominee.

Those numbers follow a Quinnipiac poll earlier this week, in which nearly 60 percent of Americans said they would support neither Palin nor Trum! p under any circumstances.

That could make either of their candidacies a tough sell to primary voters who are worried about the GOP nominee's electability.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was the only other major Republican contender with a big gulf between his favorable and unfavorable numbers. Forty-four percent view him unfavorably, while 30 percent view him positively.

The poll, conducted April 29-May 1, has a 3 percent margin of error.