The charts above were made from information in a recent Rasmussen Poll -- done on April 17th and 18th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.
Much has been made recently of the division between party leaders and the base voters in that party, and that applies to both major parties. I think it is fair to say that a division between members and leaders exists in among both Republicans and Democrats. But the division among Republicans is more dramatic.
Note that a plurality of Republicans (46%) say their party's base is more conservative than their leaders, while only 27% say the base and leaders are in agreement.
The results are different for Democrats. A plurality of Democrats (44%) say their base and leaders are in agreement, while 40% say the base is more liberal than the leaders.
Will this division hurt either party in November? I think it probably will, but it will affect the GOP more. But we won't know that until November.
