Three polls released overnight put Kevin Rudd as preferred Labor party leader ahead of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The Newspoll and Galaxy Poll published by News Limited and the Nielsen Poll published by Fairfax, have former Prime Minster Rudd at 52 per cent, 53 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.
Julia Gillard only managed 30 per cent, 26 per cent and 34 per cent according to AAP.
Mr Rudd’s strong results also put him clearly ahead of Mr Abbott as preferred Prime Minister 58 to 38 per cent.
But according to the Nielsen Poll, only half of respondents want to see Labor swap leaders again, with 47 per cent stating that they'd prefer to stick with Ms Gillard.
However, the current Prime Minister is believed to have the majority support from the party and these figures are not expected to influence the MPs’ decision on their new leader.
The Daily Telegraph quoted Galaxy’s David Briggs saying these figures confirmed Mr Rudd has the ability to put the damaged ALP back in the spotlight for the coming election.
“Despite Kevin Rudd’s leadership style being the subject of some scathing criticism this week, confidence in the former leader has not been diminished” he said.
“The criticism of Rudd’s leadership style by senior Labor figures in recent days has done little to undermine confidence in the former leader.”
According to the Neilsen Poll, the Liberal/National Coalition still leads on a two-party preferred basis, 53 to 47 per cent, but the margin has tightened since Mr Rudd’s announcement for leadership challenge.
