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And, now, the group Americans for Rick Perry reports it has raised a fair amount of money in a short amount of time. Bob Schuman, a senior strategist for Americans for Rick Perry, said Thursday that the group is expanding its fundraising operation outside of Texas to include Miami, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The group can accept unlimited donations but, under federal law, can't strategize with Perry himself.

President Obama wouldn't stand a chance if Texas Gov. Rick Perry were to win the Republican nomination. That's Merrill Matthews' theory anyway. On the conservative website Human Events, he compares Obama to Perry in terms we can all understand. Which brings us to the Obama vs. Perry records on the economy. Unemployment: Then, 7.3% of Americans were unemployed and 9.1% are unemployed today. ...Yet, as this Times article demonstrates, there's no doubt Perry brings more to the table in terms of successful governing experience than anyone else seeking to challenge Obama.

Gov. Rick Perry may or may not try to become the leader of what was once called the free world. In the meantime, he has cemented his reputation as one of the most powerful governors ever to walk the corridors of the Texas Capitol. As the longest serving governor in state history, Perry has named more people to boards and commissions than any predecessor — 5,495 at last count, Legislative Reference Library figures show — allowing him to put his conservative stamp on every corner of state government. The reach of his power, and his willingness to use it, have...

A California lawmaker who endorsed Mitt Romney for president has now signed a letter asking Texas Gov. Rick Perry to get in the 2012 race. The Los Angeles Times reported that Assemblyman Paul Cook, a Yucaipa Republican, joined more than 20 people in signing the letter. The paper added that “more potential Romney defectors may sign the letter in coming days, according to a GOP source familiar with the meeting.” (GOP candidates’ fundraising starts slowly) Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, is viewed by many as the closest thing to the front-runner in the crowded race.

State officials are soliciting ideas from private companies to build and operate a large section of the Grand Parkway, a long-planned Houston-area outer loop that has drawn criticism from environmentalists and urban planners. Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7636418.html#ixzz1Qwy2u5gk

Rick O'Donnell, a former special adviser to the University of Texas System who received a $70,000 settlement, this week skewered top UT officials for trying to block the release of faculty productivity data, accusing them of orchestrating a scare campaign to pit donors and alumni against regents pushing for changes at the system. He also took shots at state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who chairs the higher education committee, saying she went to bat for university brass due to overly cozy relations between lawmakers and public universities. Faculty and administrators "basically want to be left alone," O'Donnell said. "They push...

James Richard “Rick” Perry assumed the governorship of Texas in 2000 when he took over from George W. Bush, who resigned to take the oath of office of President. He holds all records for Texas gubernatorial tenure. Perry has the distinction of being the only governor in modern Texas history to have appointed at least one person to every possible state office, board, or commission position which requires gubernatorial appointment (as well as to several elected offices to which the governor can appoint someone to fill an unexpired term, such as six of the nine current members of the Texas...

SAN DIEGO, CA -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a Boy Scouts ceremony on Wednesday that the federal government is rudderless, kicking off a trip to California that has stoked speculation that he will enter the Republican contest for president. Perry fondly recalled his boyhood as a Scout in Texas, including his first visit to Washington, and applauded the group for promoting values such as fellowship, self-reliance, dedication and perseverance. "I really wish we saw more of that sort of courage throughout our society, yep, including in Washington, D.C.," he said. Perry didn't mention President Barack Obama or any politician...

Okay, so here are some unsolicited but heartfelt words of caution for Governor Rick Perry of Texas as he contemplates whether to enter the Republican primary for President of the United States. As you and your trusted aides crunch numbers, take the pulse of major donors, look at various match-ups in states like Iowa, South Carolina, and Florida, please keep this in mind: The conservatives, Republicans, independents, and even the growing number of Democrats who embrace traditional values and strongly oppose Barack Obama and his socialist tendencies, are tired. They are bone tired, worried beyond words, and quite frankly sick...

[BIG Snip] Jared Woodfill, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party and a Perry supporter, thinks an Austin-Boston connection represents a potentially powerful ticket for his party, but he maintains the roles should be reversed. "Perry's going to be strong in the primaries," he said last week. "Romney may fall short, and he could be number two. Gov. Perry has a very strong record as governor of Texas that will play strong across the country. I think he'll beat Romney in the primaries." Romney falling short is a possibility, political scientist Jillson says, noting that Republicans usually nominate the person...

In the 1850s, on the steps of the Waco courthouse, Wallace Jefferson’s great-great-great-grandfather was sold. Today, Jefferson is chief justice of Texas’s Supreme Court. The governor who nominated him also nominated the state’s first Latina justice. Rick Perry, 61, the longest-serving governor in Texas history and, in his 11th year, currently the nation’s senior governor, says these nominations are two of his proudest accomplishments. French cuffs and cowboy boots are, like sauerkraut ice cream, an eclectic combination, but Perry, who wears both, is a potentially potent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination because his political creed is uneclectic, matching that...

Whether Gov. Rick Perry of Texas takes the stage wearing a suit or jeans, he walks with a confident swagger in cowboy boots. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie owns any stage because of his blunt talk and seemingly unpopular remedies. Outspoken former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin breaks political stereotypes with her unpredictability. These three share something: They are popular Republicans who are not seeking the party's 2012 presidential nomination — yet. Republican voters and political strategists lately are speculating whether one of the three might be a better choice than any of eight declared GOP contenders. People are thinking about...

Rick Perry may just be the guy. The country's longest tenured governor, from its second-largest state, is generating a lot of buzz in conservative circles as he contemplates entering the wide open Republican presidential primary. There are plenty of reasons that Perry is an attractive option: he is a no-nonsense decision-maker with solid conservative credentials. A man who not only speaks about family values, but lives them, Perry's power to persuade voters to see things his way is proven -- battle-tested in a state known for independent-minded citizens. But what serious political analysts on both sides of the aisle will...

<p>SAN ANTONIO -- Gov. Rick Perry touted Texas’ economic successes and the role Hispanics have played in them, but did not mention the immigration legislation he has championed in a speech Thursday before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.</p>

A Republican campaign veteran tells us that Texas Governor Rick Perry has decided to run for President, though the official word from Team Perry is still a definite maybe. Our normally reliable Republican source reports that Mr. Perry has surveyed the field and decided to get in the race later this summer, perhaps around the time of the national prayer meeting that Mr. Perry is hosting on August 6 at a Houston football stadium. Our source also reports that Mr. Perry is aiming to compete in the Iowa Straw Poll, even though it occurs just a week later, on August...

Maybe some of our fellow Freepers down in Texas can tell us about this guy? I believe he's going to run. And if he runs.. what kind of chance does he have? He seems even slicker and more polished than Romney. And what's up with Perry attending the Bilderberg meeting????????????

Texas Gov. Rick Perry sounds more like a presidential candidate by the day. This weekend he gave a rousing speech at the Republican Leadership Conference in which he blasted the Obama administration as a bunch of smarty-pants busy-bodies. “They clearly think they know best,” said Governor Perry. “And let me tell you, I vehemently disagree. They don’t know best.” As he kept speaking he was interrupted by audience members chanting “Run Rick, Run!” But here’s a question: Is it too late for Gov. Perry to throw his drawl into the ring? It gets late early when it comes to running...

Texas Governor Rick Perry Wows GOP Crowd, Sets Stage For 2012 by Andrew Zarowny June 19, 2011 On Saturday, Texas Governor Rick Perry delivered the keynote address in New Orleans at the Republican Leadership Conference. Some 2,000 party activists from 38 states attended, hearing from several 2012 GOP presidential candidates on Friday as they argued why they want to replace Barack Obama in the White House. But no speech came close to getting the positive response as Perry did on Saturday. When finished, Rick Perry was met with chants of “Run, Rick, Run!” and “Perry 2012!” The highlights of Rick...

Four summers ago, 73 percent of Republicans were satisfied with the candidates seeking the 2008 GOP presidential nomination. Now, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll revealed on Wednesday, only 45 percent of Republicans are happy with today's 2012 contenders. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, 61, could cure the GOP's ennui. As America's economy slumbers, Perry tells a stimulating story about Texas' pro-market growth and job creation, two subjects that top the American mind. Between January 2001 and June 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates, Texas' non-farm employment grew from 9,542,400 in January 2001, when Perry took office, to 10,395,800 in...

NEW YORK — When George W. Bush left office, countless pundits proclaimed — if not in so many words — that it would be a chilly July in Dallas before Americans sent another Texan to the White House. And sure enough, that argument is prominent in discussion of Gov. Rick Perry's potential presidential bid. But with Republicans still searching for a front-runner, and Perry flirting with a run, Texas fatigue may prove less enduring than predicted. "Why not? Listen, anything's better than Obama," said Philip Ragusa, the Republican chairman in Queens, just across the river from Manhattan, where Perry headlined...