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Rick Perry took a shot at Rick Santorum prior to tonight's GOP debate, saying the former Pennsylvania senator is "weak on the 10th Amendment" and lacks the instinct to go after big spending in Washington. In an interview, Perry touted Newt Gingrich as the best Republican in the field to be the party's nominee for president. Perry said of Santorum, "He thinks that Washington needs to be making a substantial amount of those decisions" regarding spending and federal oversight of education, environment and health care decisions better left to the states. Perry appeared on conservative talker Michael Medved's radio show.The...

After a disappointing fifth-place finish in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, Texas Governor Rick Perry said he is going home to Texas to assess "whether there is a path forward for myself in this race." "With the voters' decision tonight in Iowa, I've decided to return to Texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race," Perry told supporters at the end of the night. The candidate, once considered a frontrunner in the race for the GOP nomination, earned just 10 percent on Tuesday's contest with more

In a campaign speech late Tuesday night, Governor Rick Perry stated that he is "returning to Texas" to reassess whether he is going to continue running for President. The speech contained several emotional moments, in particular two moments. The first was when he read a letter from an adoring supporter who called him a "great man." The letter described a conversation that Mr. Perry had had with a soldier and how his supporter looked on in awe as he watched Governor Perry call the veteran his "Christian brother." The second was when Perry announced that he would be returning to...

Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, appears doomed to a fifth-place finish in Iowa. Unless he drops out, that would make South Carolina his last stand against Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney. The problem is that he might not receive an invitation to an upcoming South Carolina debate (given the debate criteria). Candidates can qualify to participate in the CNN/Southern Republican Leadership Conference debate January 19th (two days before the South Carolina primary) in one of four ways. First and second, they can place in the top four in either Iowa or New Hampshire. Third and fourth, they can qualify by averaging seven...

"Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” will endorse Texas Gov. Rick Perry next week, a source with knowledge of the endorsement told ABC News.".......

The telegenic Texan took two steps forward sitting in the “center chair” on Fox Monday evening. One step backward too alas, but more about that in a bit. Gov Perry was relaxed and alert as he fielded a variety of questions. He smartly used his answers to remind conservatives why they should consider him. This is a man who is a quick study and a formidable politician. Instead of just Texas this and Texas that he pointed out that the Lone Star state all by its lonesome is the 13th largest economy in the world. A nice way to pivot...

By facing the issue and joking about it, Perry frames his gaffe as a funny moment rather than a serious, and seriously stupid, one. He takes control of the discussion. Every minute he's on the air being interviewed about it is one more minute his moment isn't being replayed, one more minute some panel of pundits isn't fretfully analyzing its stupendous terribleness. By allowing his memory glitch to be the topic of discussion and owning up to it, he helps exhaust the subject. Most of all, Perry is being humanized, albeit not in the way any politician would wish. For...

he Perry campaign wants to reboot, having retooled and refined its message and tried hard to get back on the jobs message. Okay, fine, but first the Perry camp needs to answer a basic question — why should supporters who went all in for him and wound up feeling burned give him a second shot? I asked him about that and it was, perhaps, a good sign that he stayed on the jobs message. The jobs message, though, raises a question about his flat tax — won't it just help the rich? Also, what about President Obama's approach and his...

1. Cain Ignorant on Arab "Right to Return" Propaganda That's Really Meant to Destroy Israel Herman Cain was on Fox News Sunday in May. When Chris Wallace asked about the Arab propaganda movement to give Palestinians the "Right to Return," Herman Cain indicated that he was ignorant of the propaganda intricacies of that policy. The entire duration of the Barack Obama administration has been openly hostile towards Israel. There is some indication that the 2012 election will not repair this travesty if Herman Cain is the Republican nominee. He's not smart enough on the issue to turn things around....

WASHINGTON – Rick Perry, after calling Mitt Romney a “fat cat,” today also called on the former Massachusetts governor to release his income tax returns, an indication that Perry will increasingly make an issue of Romney’s wealth in the Republican presidential primary. The strong charges from Perry are striking coming from a candidate who himself two months ago accused President Obama of “trying to engage in class warfare and shooting high-powered bullets at people who have corporate jets.” Now, as Perry tries to gain an edge on Romney – by far the wealthiest candidate in the race – the Texas...

In a new web site, in a controversial ad that was launched and then quickly pulled from sight, and in Tuesday’s now infamous debate touching episode, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is handling rival Rick Perry as if the Texas governor’s poll numbers were not at a paltry single-digit. With mounting evidence, he is, in short, treating Perry like Perry has Herman Cain’s numbers. [snip] If Romney can fatally weaken Perry now, it would allow him to dominate in the early primaries. Strategically, a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses would be followed by an anticipated victory in the New...

Last month, Insider Advantage had him leading Romney in the state 29/20. A month later, “He now barely has a heartbeat.” When I saw Perry’s topline number of three percent, I figured the “Ponzi scheme” talk must have sent Florida’s seniors running screaming into the night. Not so. He’s actually doing (marginally) worse with other age demographics in this poll, and in the last poll he did reasonably well with the 65+ crowd, finishing second to Romney in that group with almost 23 percent. That poll was taken on September 13, which was almost a week after Romney started attacking...

Las Vegas, Nevada— One day before a CNN Western Republican presidential debate, a new national survey indicates that Mitt Romney and Herman Cain are essentially tied for the lead in the race for the GOP nomination, with Rick Perry dropping to a distant third. .....According to the poll [CNN/ORC International Poll], only one third of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP say they will definitely support the candidate they are currently backing, with two thirds saying they may change their minds. "With only 33% of all Republicans saying that their minds are made up, it's far too early...

Fundraising figures released over the weekend demonstrate that only two Republican candidates -- Mitt Romney and Rick Perry -- enter the dash to the nomination with both the financial support and the campaign infrastructure that equip them fully to compete. And the Obama campaign -- eager to ensure that no candidates get free rides in the primaries -- has already begun making assumptions about whom President Obama is likely to face in the general election. That means Romney is coming under pressure from both sides, even as he seeks to consolidate Republican support early in the process. Before we get...

Mitt Romney began his presidential campaign in an enviable position. Amid a weak field of other Republican candidates, Romney enjoyed consistently high polling numbers while being figured by the media as one of the only “serious” contenders for nomination. With the continuing litany of gaffes from Texas Gov. Rick Perry seeming to doom his potential “white knight” bid, and with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announcing that he has no intention of pursuing the presidency, Romney has endured. Romney’s eligibility has never been in serious doubt. He has held all the right offices. He enjoys national name recognition, courtesy, for...

Next Tuesday, October 11th at 8pm ET, Bloomberg and The Washington Post, in partnership with WBIN-TV and host Dartmouth College, will present the first debate of the 2012 campaign focused solely on the economy. With the nation facing sustained high unemployment as well as concern over deficits, weak growth and a possible double-dip recession, the Bloomberg/Washington Post debate will devote the entire program to a substantive exploration of the candidates' specific plans for national economic recovery -- in the state that will host the first Presidential primary a few months from now.

A source on the Rick Perry campaign tells Hot Air that the Texas governor conducted some Texas-size fundraising in the third quarter. Coming in just a little over halfway through, Perry raised $17.1 million. That number would put Perry somewhere between $4-6 million ahead of Mitt Romney’s rumored total for Q3, according to this report last week from the Boston Globe. It’s also likely to far outpace Herman Cain’s fundraising or that of the other Republicans currently in the race. The pace is even more impressive. Perry had 49 days in which to raise funds, rather than the full 92...

EXCLUSIVE: Republican White House hopeful Rick Perry raised over $17 million in 49 days, DRUDGE has learned. $347,000 per day; 20,000 unique donors from all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam. With more than half of donors living outside of Texas... Developing...

Stumbles aside, Perry to remain a top contender Advantages outweigh setbacks October 3, 2011 Although Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been hurt by poor debate and straw-poll performances - and in recent days by associations with a racial slur - top Republican officials think he nonetheless can survive the blows and remain a major contender for the party’s presidential nomination. These party officials, whose neutrality in nomination contests requires their anonymity in discussing the candidates, have told The Washington Times that the structure of the 2012 primary race, funding advantages and weaknesses in other candidates mean Mr. Perry can hang...

After Sunday’s Washington Post reported that Texas Governor Rick Perry had utilized a Texas hunting camp named “Niggerhead,” GOP candidate Herman Cain (a former pizza exec. and the only black candidate running for the GOP presidential nomination) wasted little time in accusing Perry of being insensitive to racial issues. “Since Gov. Perry has been going there for years to hunt,” Cain told ABC’s “This Week,” think that it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place.” When anchor Christiane Amanpour pushed back — noting that the...