Florida Poll: Tea Party Supporters Like Rick Santorum Best

A poll showing Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in a dead heat in Florida indicates that tea party sympathizers aren't necessarily locked in for the former House speaker.

The 2,567 likely primary voters questioned by the Dixie Strategies/First Coast News Public Opinion Survey supported Gingrich with 35.46 percent while Romney had 35.08 percent.

The poll also reported that 76 percent of its respondents had a "very positive" or "somewhat positive" view of the tea party.

Among voters who identify with the tea party movement, 31.3 percent had a "very positive" view of Romney and 56.9 percent had a "very positive" view of Gingrich.

But Rick Santorum racked up the biggest number, with 59.9 percent giving him a "very positive" rating. The former Pennsylvania senator finished a distant third in the overall poll, however, garnering only 9.38 percent.

The survey was conducted Jan. 23-25 and has a 1.93 percent margin of error.

Other surveys indicate Romney building a double-digit lead in the run-up to Tuesday's primary.

See full poll results here.