In Tampa Bay, Tea Partiers Say Perry Won Debate; Others Disagree
SurveyUSA Breaking News - 09/14/11 10:47 AM
SurveyUSA polled 1,000 Tampa-area adults Tuesday evening for WFLA-TV and asked the 309 who watched the Republican presidential candidate debate who won.
- Among all debate watchers, 28% say Mitt Romney won the debate; 16% say Rick Perry was the winner. 11% say Newt Gingrich won; other candidates are in single digits, with 21% saying there was no clear winner.
- Among just Republicans, it’s much closer: 30% say Romney was the winner, 25% say it was Perry. Gingrich is again third, with 13%.
- Among just those who say they are members of the Tea Party, however — 26% of debate watchers — it’s flipped, with Perry nominally ahead of Romney, 29% to 26%. Gingrich runs more strongly among Tea Party members, with 17% saying he won the debate, as does Michele Bachmann, who is called the debate winner by 9% of all respondents, 8% of Republicans, but 14% of Tea Party members.
- Which candidate looked most presidential? Among all debate viewers, it’s Mitt Romney, 41% to Rick Perry’s 17%. Among Republicans, 37% say Romney, 33% Perry. Among the Tea Party members, Perry again comes out ahead, with 37% saying the Texas governor looked the most presidential, and 30% saying the former governor of Massachusetts appeared more presidential.
Full results and interactive crosstabs here.









