Rick Perry ‘Thinking About’ 2012 Presidential Run
Texas Governor Rick Perry said he’s considering a campaign for president in 2012.
“I’m thinking about running,” Perry, a 61-year-old Republican, said at a press conference in Austin, the state capital. “I’m going to think about it, but I think about a lot of things.”
Perry’s comment is a stronger indication of interest in running than previous statements, said Michael Quinn Sullivan, president of Empower Texans, a nonprofit group in Austin that lobbies for limited government. “That’s a change in tone,” Sullivan said.
Perry was re-elected last year to his third term as governor of the second-most-populous state. He has previously said he was focused on Texas politics rather than the presidency, often saying, “I have the best job in the world.”
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney received the most support among the field of potential Republican candidates in a Gallup poll released yesterday.
Romney said yesterday he will formally announce on June 2 in New Hampshire, while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Representative Ron Paul of Texas, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Herman Cain, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Godfather’s Pizza Inc., have declared their candidacies.
Other potential Republican challengers to President Barack Obama include former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Jon Huntsman Jr., a former Utah governor and ambassador to China.
To contact the reporter on this story: David Mildenberg in Charlotte at dmildenberg@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at mtannen@bloomberg.net
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