Whether by luck or design, Rick Perry held Texas’ golden scepter of politics longer than anyone else. Governor for 14 years, statewide office holder and state rep before that, he was Mr. Undefeated, master of all he surveyed.
Whether by luck or design, Rick Perry held Texas’ golden scepter of politics longer than anyone else. Governor for 14 years, statewide office holder and state rep before that, he was Mr. Undefeated, master of all he surveyed.
Until he wasn’t. Charging confidently, perhaps arrogantly, into a 2012 Republican presidential race that may have seemed for all the world his to win, Perry didn’t. With a single “oops” magnifying other campaign gaffes, Perry for president withered and disappeared long before the spring thaw.
When he decided against one more run for governor, it was apparent that he refused to end his political career so feebly. He threw on new glasses, shelved his cowboy boots and, unlike his 2011-12 effort, studied the issues a president might encounter.
He confirmed what everyone expected Thursday, announcing his second campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. This is undoubtedly a different Rick Perry, wiser from the humbling. The question: Will it matter?
The 2012 GOP field was thin, with the prospect of facing an incumbent president in Democrat Barack Obama chasing the up-and-comers to the sideline. That is not the case now.
The line of Republicans applying for the White House is out the door and around the block. The number could reach a daunting 15 or more, depending on which as-yet-undeclareds put their donated money where their high hopes are.
Worse than just being one of many, Perry has been eclipsed everywhere. Polls show GOP sentiment might lean toward a current or former governor, but Perry is one of a half-dozen or more in that category. Even in Texas, he’s falling further behind Sen. Ted Cruz for the ardor of Republican voters and has been passed by Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and Ben Carson in recent polling.
To Perry’s credit, he and his team aren’t blind to this. He has been pounding the soil in pivotal Iowa, from farmhouse to diner to meeting hall. This retail campaigning was a strength in his Texas campaigns but absent in his first presidential run. He still can tout the “Texas Miracle” of job growth outpacing the nation’s, although that carries less punch than it once did.
Again, will it matter? As hard as he has worked in a state like Iowa that should fit his rural and socially conservative roots, he’s still polling in the low single-digits. Barring an unexpected bump from his Thursday reveal, Perry’s immediate goal is pushing his poll numbers high enough that he qualifies for the first round of televised debates.
This newspaper and Rick Perry grew apart philosophically during his many years in office, and we recommended against him in his last gubernatorial primary and general elections. Still, we also recognize the irony in a candidate once known for impeccable political timing showing up much better prepared for the national stage, long after his moment has passed him by.
— The Dallas Morning News