NEW ORLEANS – Rick Perry’s closest political adviser said Saturday that the Texas governor is “50-50” about whether to run for the White House.
That was before Perry brought down the house here with a rousing speech at the Republican Leadership Conference.
On the RLC’s final day, the governor got a rapturous response from over a thousand GOP activists, demonstrating why both donors and the party’s grassroots want to coax him into the still-unsettled primary.
Perry has for years denied any interest in the presidency, but his speech suggested otherwise—and served as a reminder that he’d be an instant contender if he did decides to run.
He spoke of his decade-long tenure as Texas governor, the longest of any chief executive in the country, and his successful effort to bring jobs to the state. He detailed a raft of conservative legislation he’s signed on issues ranging from tort reform to abortion rights to voting restrictions.
Perry also proved he could authentically speak the language of the Tea Party, offering a robust defense of the 10th Amendment, repeatedly invoking of the founding fathers and launching an assault on what he portrayed as an ever more menacing federal government.
“They will never willingly give up an ounce power in Washington, D.C. until the American people stand up and demand that we get the government we want,” he thundered.
Earlier at the conference, more than 150 people queued up to have Perry sign copies of his book, Fed Up. Tim McGough, 41, a marketing director and former legislator in New Hampshire, was the first in line at the signing, getting there an hour early. "I am impressed with his record in Texas. The Republican party still needs a true leader. I think he will shake it up," he said. "He is telegenic, a handsome guy, articulate and governor of one of the largest economies in the world."
McGough described himself as a conservative moderate, favouring limited government, and if Perry did not stand he would support Romney. But he knows people around Perry and thinks he will go for it. "He will have a huge bump initially and will immediately catapult to the front. He will then settle into a race with Romney. I think it will be close," McGough said.
Perry initially ruled himself out of the race but over the last few weeks has confirmed he is thinking about it. His wife is urging him to run and Dave Carney, a veteran campaign strategist, quit Gingrich's team to join Perry's.
Perry signs copies of his book. Photograph: Lee Celano/Reuters
Texas journalists who have long covered Perry say they think he will stand but it is still 50-50, with the governor concerned about whether he can raise the hundreds of millions of dollars needed and whether he has left it too late to develop a campaign organisation.
If he runs, Perry will face questions about his refusal to grant a stay of execution in cases such as that of Cameron Todd Willingham, believed to be innocent. He will also have to deal with a comment he made last year in which he appeared to support the idea of the secession of Texas from the United States.
Trish Fleming, 41, who works in advertising in Houston, Texas, was second in line at the Perry book signing. A Republican who named one of her children George W, she supported Gingrich at first and then Bachmann after seeing her speak at the conference on Friday. But Fleming hopes Perry will stand. "I think he is a game-changer," she said. "The Texas economy is the only one that is booming."
Tag: Rick Perry
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