Rick Perry Is Running—and Hopes We Forgot 'Oops'

Ex-Texas governor will try to overcome 2011 flub and run on policy record
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 4, 2015 7:43 AM CDT
Rick Perry Is Running—and Hopes We Forgot 'Oops'
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during Rick Scott's Economic Growth Summit in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Tuesday, June 2, 2015.   (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Rick Perry is hoping America will forgive an "oops" moment: He's trying again for the country's top spot. A senior adviser speaking on condition of anonymity to the AP says the ex-Texas governor will announce today in Dallas that he's jumping into the presidential fray—and he'll likely push his policy record as he tried to do during his 2012 candidacy. That is, as he tried to do before he flubbed a 2011 debate in Michigan when pontificating about the three federal agencies he would close: He couldn't remember the name of one of the agencies and instead simply said, "Oops." "It's going to be hard to make a first impression a second time," a Republican strategist tells the news agency.

But it looks like Perry is all in this time. His website sports a "Perry President" logo ahead of today's announcement and says, "I am running for president because I know our country's best days are ahead of us." (The Houston Chronicle's Brian Rosenthal wryly tweeted, "Rick Perry's new site features three nouns you'll hear a lot: "farmer," "veteran," "governor.") The AP notes that he now dons "comfortable footwear" instead of his usual cowboy boots, sports eyeglasses that give him gravitas, and has been meeting with economic and business experts to bone up on certain issues. His 14-year stint as governor resulted in Texas churning out a third of the nation's new private-sector jobs since 2001, which Perry says was partly the result of lower taxes and less regulation, per the news agency. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush's committee has announced their man will announce his candidacy on June 15 in Miami, per USA Today. (More Rick Perry stories.)

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