Poll: 29% Support Tea Party

To 54% who do not

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 27, 2010 7:42 AM CDT

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Poll: 29% Support Tea Party — Members of the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, along with other groups, protest outside a Democratic fundraiser attended by Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi in Philadelphia, July 19, 2010. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Tea Party has gained ground with the public since April, with almost 3 out of every 10 Americans now supporting it, according to a new CBS News poll. Of course, that still leaves the other 7 in 10 Americans unconvinced—54% said they do not support the movement, while another 17% said they're unsure. The poll also found that a surprising 13% of Tea Party supporters consider themselves Democrats.

The poll also offers some bad news for Sarah Palin. Though she’s relatively popular with tea partiers, 49% of whom view her favorably, she's still pretty unpopular overall, with only 23% of the total sample viewing her favorably, to 40% who view her unfavorably. Another 35% haven’t made up their minds. (Read more Tea Party stories.)