Gallup Poll: Tea Party supporters back Rick Perry

Tea Party supporters back Rick Perry for the GOP presidential nomination, giving him a strong double-digit lead in the latest Gallup Poll over rivals Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann.

Perry is the choice of 35% of the Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who consider themselves supporters of the small government, anti-tax movement. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, and Bachmann, a Minnesota congresswoman who founded the House Tea Party Caucus, were each the choice of 14% of Tea Party supporters.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose libertarian views have attracted a following in his three presidential bids, was the only other GOP candidate to rank in the double digits, as the choice of 12% of Tea Party supporters.

Nearly six in 10 Republicans in the Gallup survey consider themselves Tea Party supporters.

Overall, Perry is the top choice for…