No Palin for president now

Conservative diva Sarah Palin won't be on the 2012 presidential ballot but will remain on the national stage, revelling in her star power as the race heats up, analysts say.

The 2008 vice presidential candidate and Tea Party superstar put to rest months of speculation this week when she said she would not seek to replace President Barack Obama but vowed to remain his bugbear.

"I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President," Palin said, also vowing to help Republican congressional candidates.

But some experts believe Palin, who stepped down as governor of Alaska in 2009 after just 2 1/2 years, is more interested in the fame and money of media stardom than the drudgery of politics.

"I don't think she was really interested in running because it's just too much work. I think she made the right decision," said Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.

For months she had stoked speculation about her plans. But her approval ratings have slid during her time on Fox News, and a McClatchy-Marist poll last month found that 72 per cent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents did not want her to run.

"I think she measured the field and, being realistic, she must have realised the extreme difficulty of securing the nomination," said Stephen Hess of a Washington DC think tank.

John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont-McKenna College, said polls had long shown "that a lot of Republicans didn't want her to run and wouldn't support her".

"But by holding open the possibility of a presidential race she managed to increase public attention, and Sarah Palin loves public attention."

Few expect Palin to have a major effect on the campaign, even if she endorses one of the candidates.

"I don't think she'll be a major influence. She'll make a lot of media appearances and become even wealthier than she already is," Pitney said.

- AAP