Poll: Sarah Palin and Tea Party Unfavorable

BY Sean Alfano
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Sarah Palin may have a magic touch with candidates she endorses, but nearly half of American voters aren't impressed by the former Republican vice presidential candidate.

The Tea Party isn't a hit with voters, either, a new poll finds.

Just 21% of those asked have a favorable view of Palin, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll, which also found that 19% support the Tea Party.

Despite drawing large, raucous crowds wherever she speaks, the number of voters who view Palin unfavorably rose six points since August to 46%.

Meanwhile, 33% say they are undecided on Palin or don't know enough about her positions. [See photos of Sarah Palin and her family]

Still, Palin's endorsements seem to matter.

So far this primary season, Palin has backed 43 candidates and 25 of them have won, 11 have lost, with the rest not having had a primary race.

Most recently, she helped lift Republicans Christine O'Donnell and Kelly Ayotte to Senate primary wins in Delaware and New Hampshire, respectively.

However, two in three voters say Palin is just looking for attention with her endorsements, according to the poll.

The former Alaska governor has not said whether she will run for president in 2012. However, a poll from last month shows 59% of the country thinks she would be an ineffective commander-in-chief.

As for the Tea Party, 63% do not support it, though voters who are familiar with the party are more divided.

The poll finds 29% have an unfavorable view, opposed to 23% who see the party in a favorable light.

Still, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a champion of the Tea Party, thinks the budding political movement can be a force in Washington. [See which industries donate the most to DeMint.]

"The Tea Party represents a broad cross-section of the American people," DeMint told NBC's "Today."

"You can't change Washington unless you change people who are here," DeMint said. "People are ready to throw out the bums."

• More political coverage from the Daily News.
• Check out our gallery of political cartoons on the Tea Party or on Sarah Palin.
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