Rick Perry Set To Run In 2012

Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to make his presidential intentions known this weekend, shaking up the Republican field with a sweeping tour through the all important early state trifecta this weekend - hitting South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa over a two day span.
The Texas Governor will start his weekend in Charleston, S.C. holding private politicial meetings in the morning. He'll then give a speech where he plans to make it clear that he's pursuing a presidential bid at the RedState Gathering, a conference for conservative bloggers. Before departing Charleston, he'll host a casual meet-and-greet with the GOP leaders from across the state.
Perry will fly to New Hampshire Saturday evening to attend a house party hosted by state Rep. Pamela Tucker, R-Greenland, to introduce Perry to Granite State voters.
The Texas Governor will close out his early state tour Sunday by giving a speech in Waterloo, Iowa, just one day after the majority of the GOP field gathers for the Ames Straw Poll.
Perry has reached out to Republican operatives, officials and donors across the country in the past few weeks as he's entered the final decision phase for a presidential bid.
Perry, the longest serving governor in the country, boasts a solid economic record in the Lone Star state and clings to a social conservative agenda along with maintaining a strong religious life.
The Texas governor claims Texas accounts for nearly half of all jobs created in the past decade, a boost Americans would like to see nationwide.
While unemployment in Texas remains high at 8.2%, his state has accounted for 37% of all new Americans jobs since the recession.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 32,000 new jobs were created in the Lone Star state in the ...