Tea Party stands alone on immigration, education, environment

A new poll shows just how deep the divide is between Republican Tea Party supporters and the GOP establishment on top issues.

On immigration, 68 percent of Tea Party supporters said it hurts the United States, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released Wednesday. 

By contrast, 47 percent of non-Tea Party Republicans said immigration hurts and 40 percent said it helps. Nearly half of the country at large said immigration helps the U.S.

{mosads}The poll also found a majority of Tea Party supporters oppose the educational initiative Common Core, which imposes standards for language, literature and mathematics in states that opt into it.

A plurality of traditional Republicans, on the other hand, supports the program, as does nearly 60 percent of the general public. 

Nearly three-quarters of Tea Party supporters disapprove of the Obama administration’s proposal to reduce greenhouse gases, the survey found. Half of the GOP establishment, however, approves of the proposal and 47 percent disapproves.

As far as tackling global warming, 39 percent of Tea Party supporters said it’s unwarranted, while 43 percent of traditional Republicans said some action should be taken. 

Political analysts have said the Tea Party has diminished this year since it peaked in 2010 — an assessment many reconsidered when Tea Party-backed candidate David Brat recently defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) in his primary.

Despite that upset, the survey found a plurality of 40 percent said the Tea Party has too much influence. In September 2010, 30 percent said the same.

The poll surveyed 1,000 adults between June 11 and 15 with a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.