A GOP civil war? What you may have missed in the polls

[Valin]

AEIdeas:

Karlyn Bowman and Andrew Rugg

August 2, 2013

 

In recent weeks, GOP differences on immigration, Obamacare repeal, and NSA surveillance have been much on display in Washington. What do rank-and-file Republicans and Tea Party members think about their party? A new poll from the Pew Research Center provides some answers.

 

We have a problem: In the July poll, 30% of self-identified Republicans and Independents who lean Republican said the GOP needed to make minor changes to do better in future presidential elections, but 67% said the party needed to address major problems. Sixty-nine percent of Tea Party Republican voters said their party needs to address major problems, as did 65% of non-Tea Party Republicans.

 

In response to another question, 51% of Tea Party Republicans said the party must make a stronger case for its positions in order to do better (46% of this group said the party needed to reconsider some of its positions). Among non-Tea Party Republicans, those responses were 26% and 70%, respectively.

 

 

 

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