Will she or won't she?

That's been the question surrounding Sarah Palin since she last traveled to New Hampshire in early June. It's been almost three months, and the former Alaska governor still hasn't said if she's going to enter the presidential race.

But as she prepares to return to the Granite State on Monday for a Tea Party Express rally in Manchester, it appears influential Republicans are overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the prospects of a Palin candidacy.

According to a survey of GOP leaders in New Hampshire and two other early-voting states, 81 percent of the 151 people responding said Palin should not run. Only 15 percent said she should, with 3 percent undecided.

In New Hampshire, 48 Republicans responded to the poll. Of those, 77 percent said Palin shouldn't run, while 23 percent said she should jump into the race.

"Sarah is a very polarizing gal," one Granite State Republican said. "Her getting in wouldn't be helpful."

"Her time has come and gone," said another. "She's a reality show star now, and that limits her credibility in the political arena."

The Patch-Huffington Post Power Outsiders poll of Republican voters in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina comes on the heels of a survey last week that found two thirds of those queried were satisfied with the current crop of GOP candidates.

They might not want Palin to run, but the Republicans polled do seem to have a lot of respect for the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee. Seventy-six percent described her as someone who "takes stands on issues you agree with," although only about half of the respondents said she would make a good president.

Each week, our local Patch editors will be asking influential New Hampshire Republicans questions about the presidential campaign, and we'll report the results here.

We’re still looking to expand our list of influential members of both parties in New Hampshire. If you’d like to participate, email marc.fortier@patch.com and we’ll connect you with the appropriate Patch reporter.