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Gallup poll shows Tea Party supporters the most motivated to vote
Hot Air ^ | October 24, 2014 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 10/24/2014 1:39:17 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

They’re baaaa-aaack, as Carol Anne said in Poltergeist II. No, not the cheesy ghosts from the cemetery under their house, but the ghosts of the previous midterm election, and they’re about to haunt Democrats. Gallup’s survey from the end of last month shows that the most enthusiastic voters in this cycle are Tea Party supporters — and it’s not even close:

Although the Tea Party has not been as visible in this year’s midterm elections as it was in 2010, Tea Party Republicans have given more thought to this year’s elections and are much more motivated to vote than are non-Tea Party Republicans or other Americans. About one in four Americans continue to say they support the Tea Party.

These results, from a Sept. 25-30 Gallup poll, demonstrate that despite what appears to be a lower profile this year, the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party — about 18% of all national adults — remains a powerful force, given their higher interest in the election and higher motivation to vote. This is not a new phenomenon; Republican Tea Party supporters gave the 2010 midterm elections more thought and were more motivated to vote than other Republicans, although all voters in general were paying more attention that year.

Lower profile, indeed. The results of the primary elections had been seen as a rebuke to Tea Party activists, as challengers to Republican Senate incumbents failed to net a single win. Only David Perdue’s defeat of Jack Kingston for the US Senate nomination appeared to fit the profile of a Tea Party victory, but Kingston was well regarded by conservative activists as a member of the House. That outcome looked more like populist rejection of a Washington figure, and at any rate Perdue performed relatively the same against Michelle Nunn in pre-runoff polling. The only real surprise of this cycle was Eric Cantor’s loss to a neophyte in the Virginia-07 primary, but Tea Party organizations didn’t get involved in that race until after the primary.

Just how big of a difference is there? Among self-identifying Tea Party supporters, 73% are very or extremely motivated to vote in the midterms. A smaller majority of Republicans who do not identify with the Tea Party (57%) say the same. Among non-Republicans, enthusiasm drops to 42%, a little more than half that of Tea Party supporters. That’s a wide gap, and a very large sign that the primary season did not discourage Tea Party supporters as presumed. Instead, it appears more that these voters became circumspect about primary choices and are ready to come out strong regardless of whether their preferred candidate prevailed over the summer.

On issues they see as “extremely important” in the midterms, a majority of Tea Party supporters choose ISIS (57%) and the federal budget deficit (55%), while the operation of the federal government (48%) and the economy (47%) get near-majorities. For other Republicans, ISIS gets a majority (51%), but only 34% of non-Republicans consider it “extremely important” for the elections.

Among non-Republicans, the top two issues ate the availability of good jobs (47%) and a tie between the economy and equal pay for women at 43%, with government operation narrowly trailing at 42%. Needless to say, three of those four topics are not exactly good news for Democrats. The equal-pay issue only gets 15% among Tea Party supporters and 22% among other Republicans, so it’s not going to have wide traction — while economic and competence problems will dog Democrats in every race. The lowest-ranked issue on the list is climate change, which only resonates with 26% of non-Republicans in 2014.

Gallup concludes that this will impact the GOTV situation and the model for likely voting in the midterms:

Still, although the Tea Party has been less visible in the election campaigning that has taken place this year in both the primaries and the lead-up to the general election, Tea Party supporters’ stronger motivation to vote underscores the group’s importance to the election outcome. Because most Tea Party supporters are Republicans or Republican leaners, and because it is unlikely that they will be voting for anyone other than a Republican candidate, the main effect of Tea Party supporters in the general election will be to provide a motivated base for the GOP to build on as it focuses on getting out the vote.

It also demonstrates how the Democrats’ “war on women” demagoguery and the emphasis on climate change by Democratic megadonor Tom Steyer is likely to backfire in a big way on November 4th. Those choices may haunt Democrats for a lot longer than a fortnight.


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; Polls; State and Local
KEYWORDS: 2014issues; 2014midterms; elections; gotv; polls; teaparty; voting
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To: Norm Lenhart

Well, if you are a 3rd Party voter, let us know when you post your anti-GOP rhetoric.


21 posted on 10/24/2014 3:08:43 PM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: fortheDeclaration

You must new new here.


22 posted on 10/24/2014 3:10:15 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart ("Refusing to vote against unprincipled people made Obama President. " - agere_contra)
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To: Billthedrill
"Broken glass, baby. I’m gonna have to be careful not to stick the pencil through the card. BTT"

Yeah, looks like we have to take out the commies first.

Then we will have the space to work on our longstanding "family issues".

23 posted on 10/24/2014 3:36:15 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Arm_Bears

So you’d rather HARRY REID/PRES. OBAMA continue to APPOINT YOUNG, VERY LEFT-WING JUDGEDS FOR LIFETIME APPTS. to our FEDERAL JUDICIARY, especially the SUPREME CT?

Because that’s the practical effect of the policies you are promoting?

I don’t love the GOP-e, but like it or not some of those candidates are necessary at this point to make Obama’s last 2 years a living Hell for him!!


24 posted on 10/24/2014 3:36:27 PM PDT by JSDude1
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To: nomad

Fine, at least vote for your local GOP candidates (”the farm team”) that you DO like! ;-)


25 posted on 10/24/2014 3:38:26 PM PDT by JSDude1
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To: JSDude1

If you believe that a Republican-controlled Senate and House would do anything to stop judicial appointments (or anything else, for that matter) by the first (or second) Black president, then I have a bridge to sell you.


26 posted on 10/24/2014 3:49:04 PM PDT by Arm_Bears (Rope. Tree. Politician. Some assembly required.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Tea Party idealist I know are voting this year.


27 posted on 10/24/2014 3:52:59 PM PDT by rrrod (at home in Medellin Colombia)
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To: rrrod

It’s not the votes that count....


28 posted on 10/24/2014 4:14:15 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (Linux rocks. TERM LIMITS ... TERM LIMITS)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Next primary season the GOPe will remember how well motivated TEA party people are and will do every thing they can to change and twist the rules to make it easier for RINOs to win. If 25% of the voters are TEA party then perhaps at least half of the republicans and most of the republican primary voters are TEA party. The GOPe would rather sit around in a wet diaper full of poop for four years, or even vote for a democrat, than have a TEA party candidate win.


29 posted on 10/24/2014 4:30:08 PM PDT by Waryone
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To: Arm_Bears

How much??


30 posted on 10/24/2014 4:34:48 PM PDT by JSDude1
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To: nomad
.


 photo FR-MMC-2014-04_zpse3cf36e2.jpg .


 photo FR-MMC-2014-02_zpsabae4ce6.jpg


.
31 posted on 10/24/2014 4:52:45 PM PDT by Patton@Bastogne
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; All

Gallup poll shows Tea Party supporters the most motivated to vote
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Will they vote for RINOs who hate them like Mitch McConnell or crusty, old farts, who are low-life, scumbag pieces of s**t like That Cochran? Somebody help me out here. Whaddya think?


32 posted on 10/24/2014 5:54:22 PM PDT by Din Maker (I've always been crazy, but, that's the only thing that's kept me from going insane.)
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To: Din Maker; All
NEVER FORGET MISSISSIPPI! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!
33 posted on 10/24/2014 5:55:54 PM PDT by Din Maker (I've always been crazy, but, that's the only thing that's kept me from going insane.)
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To: JSDude1
IF and ONLY IF they are Conservative, Constitutionally principled candidates.

Otherwise they, as well as their plantation conniving party, can get bent!

34 posted on 10/25/2014 3:41:44 AM PDT by nomad
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To: JSDude1
You see the point is, the rats use the welfare carrot with the threat being, “The evil Crats will take this away if you don`t vote for me”, to gain and keep their plantation livestock.

While the Crats use a diffrerent yet equally insidious, “If you don`t vote for us a evil liberal Rat will win”, to scare their Conservative livestock onto, and keep them on their plantation.

All the while they`re both big government progressive parties, certainly at the establishment level, with NO intention of reducing the government`s foot print as they well know that means loss of their power.

I`m not buying the bullsh!t argument anymore! If the Crat road A leads, via a switch back laden path, to the land of Tyranny, and Rat road B leads, via a direct path, to the same end, whats the freaking difference? Well except for the scenery along the route.

Well they can both dry shove that scene,deep and hard!

35 posted on 10/25/2014 4:04:41 AM PDT by nomad
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To: Patton@Bastogne
It is, it truly is a plantation mentality! That so many on “our side” fall for it, is the true wonder.

I can only guess it`s due to they`re being blinded by party identification or loyalty. And perhaps a total lack of any previous revelation of being on a plantation.

I mean, while I never believed it was right to mooch off the labor of others, the liberal, North West Indiana region I was raised in generally believed in that "benevolent big government" concept. Reagan was the beginning of my epiphany.

But I suppose those who once escaped that plantation mentality, should be more able to recognize being on one again. A kind of "Fool me once, shame of you. Fool me twice, shame on me." revelation. What do you say?

36 posted on 10/25/2014 4:31:10 AM PDT by nomad
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To: fortheDeclaration

Maybe we know that we need to defeat the Democrats now and deal with the GOPE later!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bulls**t..... How has that worked for you for the past 15 years?


37 posted on 10/25/2014 5:46:47 AM PDT by Din Maker (I've always been crazy, but, that's the only thing that's kept me from going insane.)
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To: rrrod; All

Tea Party idealist I know are voting this year
___________________________________________________________

And they are 18% of the total, adult population in the U.S. I don’t think the political wonks, and pollsters, realizes the red-hot hatred these people have for the likes of Mitch McConnell and Thad Cochran. They won’t vote Dem, but they won’t vote for people who hate them, vow to crush them, crap on them and disrespect them.

We could be in for some “shockers” on Election Night.


38 posted on 10/25/2014 5:52:37 AM PDT by Din Maker (I've always been crazy, but, that's the only thing that's kept me from going insane.)
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To: Din Maker
I don’t think the political wonks, and pollsters, realizes the red-hot hatred these people have for the likes of Mitch McConnell and Thad Cochran.

Red-hot hatred? More like 'white-hot'...

39 posted on 10/25/2014 5:56:38 AM PDT by who knows what evil? (Yehovah saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: who knows what evil?

Red-hot hatred? More like ‘white-hot’...
________________________________________________________

LOL.... True. Thanks for the correction.


40 posted on 10/25/2014 6:06:27 AM PDT by Din Maker (I've always been crazy, but, that's the only thing that's kept me from going insane.)
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