Pew poll: Tea Party support hits all-time low

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. public approval of the Tea Party has hit an all-time low, with 49 percent viewing the movement unfavorably, a poll released Wednesday indicated.

The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press poll found 30 percent of those surveyed said they have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement. In June, 37 percent of those surveyed said they favored the Tea Party and 45 percent viewed it negatively.

The poll found the Tea Party's favorability was down across the board since June, but particularly among moderate and liberal Republicans -- with 27 percent saying they view the movement favorably, down from 46 percent in June.

In addition, the survey found Tea Party Republicans are more likely than non-Tea Party Republicans -- by 41 percent to 27 percent -- to see the movement as part of the Republican Party.

The poll found approval for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas -- a Tea Party favorite and leader of the fight in Congress to block the Affordable Care Act -- has grown 27 percent among Tea Party Republicans, from 47 percent in June to 74 percent now.

Support for the movement among 18-29 year old voters fell to 25 percent, a 12 percent drop since June.

The Pew report was based on landline and cellphone interviews conducted Oct. 9-13 Abt SRBI in English and Spanish among a weighted national sample of 1,504 adults.

No single margin of sampling error was reported.