Poll: Rubio slips with Tea Party

Rubio’s approval rating with Tea Party backers is now at 47 percent, with 15 percent holding an unfavorable opinion of the Florida senator.

Those are still strong numbers, but mark a dip from the 52 percent support and 8 percent opposition Rubio had with Tea Party members when the group polled in February.

{mosads}The senator’s embrace of bipartisan compromise on the controversial issue appears to have taken a toll on his backing from the grassroots. House Republicans have balked at giving the Rubio-backed plan passed out of the Senate a vote in their chamber, and it has drawn sharp criticism from many of the party’s conservatives.

Rubio’s standing has also dipped in some key early-voting presidential primary states. He finished in fifth place in a recent Iowa presidential primary poll.