If former Congressman Virgil Goode decided to challenge for the Republican nomination in Virginia's 5th District, it would be his for the taking and he'd give Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) -- the man who knocked him from office in 2008 -- a tough re-election fight, according to a new PPP survey.

Even if the GOP nominee ends up being someone else, Perriello is in for another close election in the Charlottesville-based district in Southside Virginia. State Sen. Robert Hurt ties the incumbent with 44 percent apiece, while the other Republicans tested against Perriello -- Albemarle County Supervisor Ken Boyd, real estate developer Jim McKelvey, pilot Michael McPadden and real estate investor Laurence Verga -- ran competitively.

If Goode were to run as an independent, the poll shows he would easily outperform the GOP nominee and run evenly with Perriello. And if another candidate ran under the Tea Party mantle it would also take considerable support from the Republican. Still, no matter the situation, Perriello never received more than 46 percent support.

Perriello 44 -- Hurt 44 -- Und 13

Perriello 44 -- Hurt 27 -- Tea Party 19 -- Und 10

Perriello 41 -- Hurt 12 -- Goode (I) 41 -- Und 6

Perriello 46 -- Boyd 42 -- Und 12

Perriello 45 -- McKelvey 37 -- Und 18

Perriello 45 -- McPadden 36 -- Und 19

Perriello 44 -- Verga 34 -- Und 21

The survey was conducted Feb. 5-10 of 924 registered voters in the district, with a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.