From David Hulen in Anchorage --

A new poll from Hays Research Group shows Gov. Palin remains popular among Alaskans. This tracks with other polls in recent months. While her negatives have increased and her off-the-charts positives have fallen, she still has strong approval ratings.

The results:

Very positive 40.5
Somewhat positive 20.8 percent
Somewhat negative 12.5 percent
Very negative 20.2 percent
Don't know/Didn't answer 6 percent

The sample: 400 people age 18 and over interviewed by phone statewide on March 13. From the Hays Web site: "The survey sample used was a computer generated random list derived from a database of all households within the State of Alaska with working telephone numbers who have at least one member who has voted in at least two of the last four local or state elections." Margin of error: 4.9 percent.

Anchorage pollster Ivan Moore had similar results when he polled 500 Alaskans in January, and a poll commissioned in December by the left-leaning Daily Kos had Palin approval numbers in the same ballpark.