Conservative poll: Republicans increasingly want electability to trump ideology

An increasing number of Republicans want more electable candidates instead of more conservative candidates, according to a poll conducted for Conservative Intelligence by GOP pollster Harper Polling.

When asked if they would more likely "vote for the party-backed candidate who is more electable or the Tea Party conservative candidate," 45 percent went with the "more electable" candidate, while 27 would support the Tea Party candidate.

That's a slight increase from just a month ago, when the pollster found 43 percent would back the establishment candidate and 34 percent would back the Tea Party candidate. Republicans who self-identify as "somewhat conservative" want a more electable candidate by a 37-point margin, up from a 23-point margin in January.

The poll shows there might be a renewed interest from Republicans for focusing on electability over ideology. Still, "very conservative" Republicans tend to dominate turnout in GOP primaries, meaning the actual voters who decide those elections might continue to skew further to the right than the party as a whole.

The automated poll was conducted from Feb. 25-26.

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