Tea Party Supported by a Third of Iowans

A third of Iowans say they support the Tea Party movement while 45 percent do not and 22 percent are undecided,
according to a Des Moines Register poll conducted Jan. 31 - Feb. 3.

That third is constituted by 49 percent of independents, 34 percent of Republicans and 17 percent of Democrats.

But perhaps more important than the numbers of Tea Party sympathizers is the fact that the poll found them to be "more energized than the average likely Iowa voter." Three-quarters of them say they will definitely vote in the next elections, a number comparable to the 73 percent of Republicans, but significantly higher than that of the Democrats (65 percent) and independents (59 percent).

A national Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, conducted Feb. 2-3, found that a majority of Americans regarded the Tea Party movement as a serious and not a fringe group.

Both surveys were conducted before last weekend's first national Tea Party convention.

Harvard political scientist Thomas Patterson told the Register, ""It seems to be a pretty substantial phenomenon for this group to brand itself so quickly in a politically competitive state and to get people to align favorably."

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