Palin trounces Pawlenty as GOP standard bearer in new poll

​Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been racking up a lot of frequent flyer miles in recent weeks, but not a whole lot of recognition among Republicans as a standard bearer for their party, according to a new Washington Post poll.

Subjects who self-identified as GOP leaners were asked, "Thinking about Republican leaders today -- which one person best reflects the core values of the Republican Party?"

She who is "Going Rogue," and who will be at the Mall of America next week, came out on top, with 18 percent support. Just 1 percent of those polled supported T-Paw.

Here are the standings, expressed in percentages:

Sarah Palin 18
John McCain 13
Mike Huckabee 7
Mitt Romney 6
Newt Gingrich 4
Rush Limbaugh 2
Bobby Jindal 1
Colin Powell 1
George Bush 1
George W. Bush 1
John Boehner 1
Kay Bailey Hutchison 1
Lindsey Graham 1
Mike Pence 1
Mitch McConnell 1
Ron Paul 1
Ronald Reagan 1
Rudy Giuliani 1
Tim Pawlenty 1

Interestingly, the same group was asked whether they thought GOP leaders were taking the party in the right or wrong direction. Forty-nine percent said the party was going in the right direction, 42 percent said the wrong direction, and 9 percent said they had no opinion.

The same question was asked of the same group in 2005 and it got markedly different results. Four years ago, during the Bush administration, 76 percent said they thought party leaders were taking the party in the right direction and 23 percent said the wrong direction.

And, yes, we too scratching our heads over Ronald Reagan's paltry 1 percent.

The complete poll results can read by clicking here.