Alaska's new Republican governor, Sean Parnell, begins his tenure to fill out the term of Sarah Palin with higher approval ratings than his predecessor, according to a Hays Research Group poll conducted July 29-30.

The survey found that 66.5 percent of respondents said they "feel positive" about Parnell and just 7.8 percent of respondents have a negative opinion. An additional 18 percent expressed no opinion and 7.8 percent responded that they didn't know Parnell.

Palin, the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2008, triggered positive ratings from 46.8 percent of those surveyed; a negative rating from 47.5 percent and, from 4.5 percent of the Alaskans polled, no opinion of Palin at all.

Job approval ratings for Alaska's two top statewide Republicans show that first-term Sen. Lisa Murkowski is in a strong position right now should Gov. Sarah Palin decide to challenge her in a GOP primary in 2010, according to a Hays Research Group poll poll conducted Mar. 24-25.

The survey found that Palin, John McCain's 2008 running mate, has a 59.8 positive approval rating and 34.9 percent negative rating, while Murkowski received a 71.6 percent positive approval rating and 20.9 percent negative rating. The remaining respondents didn't express an opinion.