Poll: Rick Perry in Nevada freefall

Only 25 percent of those polled had a favorable view of Perry, down from 64 percent in August.

{mosads}Also surprising was Romney’s support among Tea Party supporters, who are thought to have fueled Cain’s rise in recent months. Romney won 30 percent of the Tea Party vote, trailing only Cain, who polled at 32 percent.

According to Magellan, a Republican polling firm, Romney “will be in a strong position to win” the Nevada caucus if he can remain competitive with Tea Party voters.

But on Saturday, the Nevada GOP moved the state caucus back a few weeks in deference to New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary — a move some say could hurt the Romney campaign.

Romney had urged the Nevada GOP to set the caucus date on Jan. 14, but backtracked when some of his fellow candidates said they would boycott the state’s caucus over the accelerated time frame. Romney won Nevada in 2008, and part of his strategy was to build momentum by winning the early-voting-state again in 2012.

A scramble over caucus and primary dates began when Florida moved its contest date to Jan. 31, prompting the traditional early-voting states to move up the dates of their primaries and caucuses. But it was Nevada’s decision to hold its caucuses Jan. 14 that New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said threatened the legitimacy of his state’s primary.

The Nevada caucus will now take place on Feb. 4.