Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry back in the race, but big hurdle awaits
ADDISON, Texas (Christian Examiner) – Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is making a second run for the White House, an announcement the candidate is making official today at a fundraising event in Addison, Texas.
A new ad for the candidate features Perry saying, "If we're going to revive this American dream again, we need a president who provides leadership that transcends the petty partisanship we've seen in the last few years, someone who has been tested. We need a president who tells the American people the truth."
If we're going to revive this American dream again, we need a president who provides leadership that transcends the petty partisanship we've seen in the last few years, someone who has been tested. We need a president who tells the American people the truth. ... We must do right and risk the consequences.
Perry was a force for conservatives in the 2012 Republican primary, until he was sidelined by a very public gaffe during a presidential debate. In the debate, Perry lost his train of thought while naming federal agencies he would eliminate if president. That gaffe was followed by his now infamous utterance, "oops."
Perry, now fully recovered from successive back surgeries, is expected to stay away from social issues in his speeches, reflecting a more relaxed, cerebral and piano playing candidate with in depth knowledge of foreign and domestic policy issues.
Perry was governor of Texas from 2000 when George W. Bush took office as president of the United States. He remained in office, winning elections handily until 2015 when his final term expired. He was the longest serving governor in U.S. history.
The road to the White House, however, will be a bumpy one for Perry, however. He remains under indictment on charges he abused his office to punish the head of the public integrity office following her arrest for drunk driving.
In April 2013, Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested and was captured on video touting her influence over police and politicians alike. She was fined and served half of a 45-day jail sentence.
Perry, however, demanded she resign because she had tainted the integrity of the public integrity unit she headed. She refused and Perry followed through on a promise to veto $7.5 million in funding for Lehmberg's office.
The charges against Perry stem from that incident. Perry has asked that they be dismissed, but the Court has yet to do so.
The final line of Perry's newest political advertisement is, "We must do right and risk the consequences."