Tea Party Tops GOP in Three-Way Generic Ballot Poll

Meredith Jessup | December 07, 2009 8:17 AM

If Republican Party leadership didn't realize how much traditional small-government conservatives are fed up with them, they should now. The latest poll asked voters their preferences on a generic ballot, putting Democrat vs. Republican vs. Tea Party candidate. The results reveal the public's general disdain for the GOP:

In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picks up 23%, and Republicans finish third at 18%. Another 22% are undecided.
Among voters not affiliated with either major party, the Tea Party comes out on top. Thirty-three percent (33%) prefer the Tea Party candidate, and 30% are undecided. Twenty-five percent (25%) would vote for a Democrat, and just 12% prefer the GOP.
Among Republican voters, 39% say they’d vote for the GOP candidate, but 33% favor the Tea Party option.

Full poll report from Rasmussen