There’s no question about it, Perry was an absolute train wreck last night. FreedomWorks was actually protesting against Romney less than a month ago and now even they’re having serious doubts about the rest of the field.

ORLANDO — The head of an influential Tea Party group that has been outspoken against Mitt Romney signaled Friday that their opposition to the former Massachusetts governor is softening as Rick Perry falters.

“Romney has an opportunity to rehabilitate himself,” Matt Kibbe, chairman and CEO of FreedomWorks, told The Huffington Post in an interview.

Perry, the Texas governor, who entered the race about six weeks ago, has stumbled after a meteoric start, Kibbe said.

“It looks to me like Rick Perry has been buttoned down by political handlers. He was being very cautious last night. It was as if someone told him he wasn’t allowed to say what he wanted to say, so he sort of fumbled a couple things,” Kibbe said.

Kibbe said Perry should be more authentic, but that if he does not change course, “he’s got a problem.”

“What Tea Partiers are looking for is someone that stands for something, but also someone that shows the political skills to win. It’s not enough to be right and lose. The goal here is to win the presidency,” Kibbe said.

In May, Kibbe and other FreedomWorks officials told HuffPost that they wanted to stop Romney from being the Republican nominee.

The group protested Romney at a campaign event in New Hampshire earlier this month. Just three weeks ago, FreedomWorks’ Vice President of Public Policy Max Pappas wrote on the group’s website: “We support free markets, constitutionally limited government, and fiscal responsibility and we oppose politicians from both parties who do not. Romney does not, so we oppose him.”