Yee haw! Ride 'em, cowboy! This should provide some comic relief. Via USAToday:
ADDISON, Texas — Former Texas governor Rick Perry will announce Thursday that he'll make a second bid for the White House.
The campaign's new website went up early in the day, saying that Perry offers "tested leadership" and "proven results," particularly in job creation.
Later this morning, at a small municipal airport just north of downtown Dallas, Perry is anticipated to join a growing field of Republican candidates for president that includes fellow Texan Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former business executive Carly Fiorina. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are also likely candidates for the Republican ticket. Bush said Thursday morning he would announce his decision on June 15.
Though he left office on Jan. 20, Perry has unfinished business back home in Austin. He was indicted last year on felony counts of abusing his power as governor by threatening to veto funding for a district attorney unless she resigned because of a drunk-driving arrest. Perry has denounced the case as a political witch hunt, and conservatives have rallied to his cause.
Perry, 65, begins the race with a slate of deep-pocket donors such as billionaire Red McCombs, founder of Clear Channel, who have bankrolled his Texas campaigns. He has hoped to draw voter support from leading the booming Texas economy the past 14 years. But the state lost 25,000 jobs in March and oil projects have stalled in the wake of plunging oil prices, though the state's 4.2% unemployment remains well below the national average of 5.4%
