The Republican tax overhaul is gaining public support, The New York Times reports.

Overall support of the overhaul is at 51 percent, while more Democrats are showing support for it, a New York Times poll conducted in early February showed.

Jon Cohen, the chief research officer for SurveyMonkey, who conducted the poll, noted that support for the tax plan has doubled among Democrats, from 8 percent before the bill passed to 19 percent now.

"There is no question the tax bill has fundamentally improved the overall political environment for Republicans," Josh Holmes, former chief of staff for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told the newspaper.

Being opposed to the overhaul might not be as good an idea for a candidate as it was previously, Cohen said. "It's less of a sure bet than it seemed in December. This isn't a problem yet for Democrats, but the movement isn't a positive one."

Other polls also have showed upswings for Republicans, including a Monmouth University poll in late January. The tax overhaul had 44 percent support — an improvement from 26 percent in December.

"While there is still some way to go to really win over the public, it looks like the needle has moved in the Republicans' direction since passage of the tax bill," said Patrick Murray, director at the Monmouth University Polling Institute.