Sarah Palin has given her clearest sign yet that she intends to run for president in two years' time by saying that she is consulting her family about the decision.

But the former Alaska governor's strategy to build a national following received a setback when the near completion of the count in the Senate race in her home state pointed to a victory for the write-in candidate, Lisa Murkowski. Voters could only choose her by writing her name on voting papers. She beat the Tea Party contender, Joe Miller, who was strongly supported by Palin.

Palin, who was John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in 2008, told the New York Times she was in discussions with her family and colleagues on a bid for the Republican nomination. "I'm engaged in the internal deliberations candidly, and having that discussion with my family, because my family is the most important consideration here," she said.

The New York Times said that Palin went on to say that "her decision would involve evaluating whether she could bring unique qualities to the table".

But her final decision on whether to run for president could still be months away, and may ultimately be influenced by growing evidence that while many on the right of the Republican party like Palin, they consider her unelectable.

Palin recognised that she has some influential critics within her party who have questioned both her limited political experience and seriousness.

Karl Rove, President George Bush's chief political strategist, has said that Palin lacks gravitas for appearing on her own television reality show.

"I know that a hurdle I would have to cross, that some other potential candidates wouldn't have to cross right out of the chute, is proving my record," Palin said. "That's the most frustrating thing for me‚ the warped and perverted description of my record and what I've accomplished over the last two decades.

"It's been much more perplexing to me than where the 'lamestream' media has wanted to go about my personal life. And other candidates haven't faced these criticisms the way I have," she said.

Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, said Palin's chances of winning her party's nomination will have been damaged by the Republicans' failure to win more seats in this month's Senate elections because of extremist candidates, such as Christine O'Donnell in Delaware. That will have been compounded by Murkowski becoming the first Senate candidate in more than 50 years to win a write-in campaign, reflecting the strength of feeling among Alaskans toward Miller and delivering a rebuke to Palin. Sabato said that will make mainstream Republicans and Tea Party activists alike more wary of Palin.

"Activists are not really stupid people. Only rarely do they make a bone-headed mistake like they did in Delaware with Christine O'Donnell. Usually they don't nominate people who can't win," Sabato said.

"It's not just the leadership that recognises she'll have a hard time winning. It's also a good bit of the rank and file. They get it. They're paying attention. They're not critical of her. They really like her. It's just that they don't think she can win and they really want to beat Obama. That's the key."

Sabato's view is backed by a survey of Tea Party leaders and activists in the Daily Caller which found that while "almost all in the movement love her and support her, many of them simultaneously have serious reservations about whether they want her to run for president". Some said she had "too many negatives" against her and is too divisive.

A recent poll found that fewer than one in five Republicans think she should be their party's presidential candidate. Palin's confirmation that she is discussing her political future with her family may lay to rest speculation that she was merely flirting with the idea to keep her name in the spotlight and promote other interests such as her Fox News show and her reality television programme on Alaska.

Palin told the New York Times that her experience as McCain's running mate was for the most part "amazing, wonderful, do it again in a heartbeat".

But she added: "What Todd and I learned was that the view inside the bus was much better than underneath it, and we knew we got thrown under it by certain aides who weren't principled‚" and that "the experience taught us, yes, to be on guard and be very discerning about who we can and can't trust in the political arena."