A new Rasmussen poll suggests that the Tea Party movement is far and away more popular than the Republican Party it seeks to influence — so much so that if it were a full-fledged political party, it would overtake the GOP on the generic Congressional ballot.
The question was phrased as follows: “Okay, suppose the Tea Party Movement organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district, or the Tea Party candidate from your district?”
The results: Democratic 36%, Tea Party 23%, Republican 18%.
It’s no wonder that the traditional GOP is running scared. I question, however, how popular real tea party candidates would actually be. If Hoffman is any guide, they can even turn off conservatives.