Just before 2 a.m. on Thursday, a video popped up on former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's website announcing his intention to run for president in 2016.
Perry's senior adviser said Perry will make a formal announcement for the Republican nomination later in the day in Dallas, according to Houston affiliate ABC 13.
"It's going to be hard to make a first impression a second time," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist in Washington, according to Huffington Post. Perry dropped out of the race after a debate debacle in 2011. During a debate in Michigan, Perry forgot the third federal agency he promised to close if elected. Instead of a graceful or witty recovery, the former governor muttered "oops."
Anita Perry, the former governor's wife, takes the blame for his tumble from power to punchline. She told CNN she should have known he wasn't ready then. "I did coax him to run, and I look back now and perhaps I should've stepped back a little bit," Anita Perry said. "I am at peace with whatever he does. I really had to dig deep and go back in my faith and that was a pretty dark time for us."
"Rick is absolutely the guy that you want to have a beer with, but he's so much more than that. He's prepared now," Anita Perry told CNN. "I want people to really give him a second look."
A second look at the new and improved Rick Perry, which includes the smart, hipster glasses she picked out for him. Are his policies as streamlined as his appearance? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
