WASHINGTON
Former Texas governor and 2012 presidential candidate Rick Perry has decided that one run at the White House isn’t enough.
He became the latest in a burgeoning pool of Republicans to announce his candidacy during a campaign kickoff event at an airplane hangar outside of Dallas on Thursday.
“We have the power to make things new again – to project America’s strength again, and to get our economy going again,” he said in front of a massive C-130 Hercules aircraft adorned with “Perry for President”. “And that is exactly why today I am running for the presidency of the United States.”
Taya Kyle, wife of slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle who was the focus of last year’s Oscar-nominated American Sniper film, was in attendance along with six retired Navy SEALs, including Marcus Luttrell whose story is recounted in the movie, Lone Survivor.
Perry, who served as governor for 14 years, is the tenth Republican to announce his candidacy for the GOP ticket.
The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a tight three-point race between seven GOP candidates, but Perry lags far behind the front-runners, polling at just 2 percent.
Currently, Republican Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker lead the pack at 11 points each, with Sen. Marco Rubio and likely candidate Jeb Bush closely following at 10 points apiece. Mike Huckabee stands at nine points and Ben Carson and Ted Cruz are close behind with eight.
Undeterred, Perry emphasized his leadership credentials while lambasting the Obama administration at Thursday's campaign event.
“On my first day in office I will issue an immediate freeze on pending regulations from the Obama administration,” he said. “That same day I will send to Congress a comprehensive reform and roll-back of job-killing mandates created by Obamacare.”
Texas saw strong economic growth during Perry’s tenure as governor but his record has come into question following a felony indictment on abuse of power charges.
Perry's 2012 presidential bid was derailed when he forgot the third federal agency that he pledged to shutter during a Republican presidential debate - prompting him to mutter "oops" amid a chorus of laugher.
Former Florida governor and brother of George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, is likely to formally announce his candidacy June 15 in Miami.
A tweet posted on his account teases the announcement with a silhouetted Bush standing besides a “COMING 6.15.15” photo calling on followers to join the presumptive candidate in Miami for a “big announcement”.
