Rick Perry Looks Like He Is Ready to Lose Another Presidential Campaign – In August 2011, then Governor of Texas Rick Perry launched his first bid for the White House – and there was speculation that he could follow in the footsteps of his former boss, the governor turned President George W. Bush.
In fact, Perry had a far more impressive political resume than Bush, having served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and then as the agriculture commissioner for the Lone Star State before becoming lieutenant governor and subsequently governor.
However, his 2012 bid was short-lived, and he dropped out after seeing dismal support in New Hampshire and then facing lagging poll numbers in South Carolina. On January 19, 2012, Perry was out of the race.
Almost immediately following the 2012 election, which saw President Barack Obama secure a second term, Perry was mentioned as a potential candidate in 2016.
It was suggested he was battle-tested, and gained experience as a third-term governor of Texas. Yet, Perry’s campaign was even shorter in the second go around – as he announced in June 2015, only to withdraw from the race in September after a poor showing in the first Republican debate.
Perry was nominated by then President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Secretary of Energy, even though Perry had called for the Department of Energy (DoE) to be abolished during his 2012 presidential campaign and couldn’t remember the department during a GOP debate. After being confirmed by the United States Senate, Perry served in the role until December 2019.
A Third White House Bid
There is now speculation that the former governor of Texas could seek to run for president a third time – becoming a new comeback kid despite being nearly 73 years of age. Perry told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Sunday that he hasn’t “written off” the idea of running for president.
In addition, when asked if former President Trump should be the GOP’s nominee, Perry stated, “I’m still trying to sort that out for myself.”
Trump and Perry famously clashed during the run-up to the 2016 primaries, and while the two patched things up, the former governor is apparently ready for round two.
“He may get to hear me call him names again,” Perry added. “If you’ll recall, I didn’t announce for president in 2011 until August, so we’ve got a lot of time left.”
Uphill Battle
The third time may not be the charm for Perry. He has already flamed out twice before, and he’s now been out of office, and thus out of the spotlight.
Perry may thus face a massive uphill battle again, and not just because he lacks the popularity of Trump – not to mention that of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – but also because in December 2021, it was reported that members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol stated that there was evidence Perry was the author of a text message sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows the day after the 2020 election pushing an “AGRESSIVE (sic) STRATEGY” that called for three state legislatures to ignore the will of their voters and deliver their states’ electors to Donald Trump.
Perry has denied the allegations. Yet, it would be an issue that will likely be brought up repeatedly should Perry throw his hat in the ring.
At best, Rick Perry would be a long-shot candidate, and the GOP already has a few names in the long-shot column. Being even the best of those candidates is hardly a wining strategy.
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Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
