Doug Mataconis · · 63 comments

In case you’re wondering why Donald Trump is pushing birtherism so much, this would be why:

Four in 10 American voters think there is “cause to wonder” whether Barack Obama was born in the United States — and nearly one in four believes outright that he wasn’t.

Only “natural born citizens” are eligible to be president under the U.S. Constitution.

A Fox News poll released Thursday found 24 percent of voters believe President Obama was born somewhere other than the United States.

As one might expect, there are huge partisan differences on this issue. Still, 12 percent of Democrats think the president was born elsewhere, as do 21 percent of independents. That percentage climbs to 37 percent among Republicans. Among those who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, 41 percent think the president was born outside the U.S.