Poll Shows Support For Tea Party Movement Continues To Grow

A new Rasmussen Report survey conducted on the eve of the Tea Party movement’s first anniversary found that U.S. voters who self-identify as part of the Tea Party movement jumped eight points since the previous month. April 15, 2010 marked the one-year anniversary of the movement, which has been a lightning rod for political controversy since its inception.

In March 2010, 16 percent of American voters surveyed identified themselves as Tea Partiers. That number leapt to 24 percent in the most recent poll with another 10 percent saying they are not part of the movement but have close friends or family who are.

Of those surveyed, 55 percent said they are not part of the movement or do not have any ties to the Tea Party, while 11 percent said they are unsure.

The rise in Tea Party support comes as more voters than ever – 58 percent – favor the repeal of Obama’s healthcare reform. Those surveyed say they are convinced that the so-called reform will require all Americans to pay higher taxes to fund the program at a time when 66 percent of voters believe that we are already overtaxed by the government.

The largest discrepancy found in the report was the disparity between how the political class, or political elite, views the movement versus that of mainstream voters. Not surprisingly, 98 percent of the political elite have an unfavorable view of the Tea Party movement.

Conversely, 58 percent of mainstream voters held a favorable opinion of Tea Partiers. It should be noted only four percent of American voters support the Political Class over the people.

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