In a new survey, likely voters peg Romney as more qualified for the presidency than Palin. | AP Photos Poll: Romney qualified, Palin not

Voters see Mitt Romney as the Republican presidential hopeful most qualified to take the Oval Office, according to a new survey.

In a Rasmussen survey out Monday, 49 percent of likely voters said the former Massachusetts governor was qualified to be president, compared with 25 percent who said Romney was not qualified.


Voters were less positive on Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor is seen as the least qualified potential GOP contender.

Only 23 percent of voters surveyed say Palin is qualified to serve as president. Sixty-three percent say Palin is unqualified.

Other candidates included in the survey included Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.

Paul, the Texas congressman, and Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, were both viewed as qualified by 27 percent of respondents.

Paul was viewed as unqualified by 43 percent of respondents, and Pawlenty was viewed as unqualified by 32 percent.

Twenty-six percent of those surveyed viewed Gingrich, the former House Speaker, as qualified, but 48 percent said Gingrich was unqualified.

The telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters nationwide was conducted June 2-3. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.