Rick Perry has "no intention" of White House run -- but will think about it
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday he would consider entering the GOP presidential race once the Texas legislative session is over, but a spokesman later said he is not intending to make a bid for the White House.
"His position has not changed -- he has no intention of running for president," Perry spokesman Mark Miner told CBS News today.
Miner made the comments after the Associated Press reported Perry said he would think about a run after the current legislative session ends Monday.
At a bill signing today, the current head of the Republican Governors Association was asked if he would run for president.
Perry first said he was focused on the current legislative session, but in a follow-up question he said "I'm going to think about it."
Miner said the governor "thinks about a lot of issues."
The governor has denied for months any interest in entering the race. As Ben Smith of Politico notes, Perry's key political adviser, Dave Carney, works for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is already in the race.
Asked about a potential presidential bid earlier this week on Fox News, Perry said, "I can't say I'm not tempted, but the fact is: this is something I don't want to do."
That hasn't stopped some of the governor's supporters from calling on him to join the current field of candidates, which polls show has no strong frontrunner. The Hispanic Republican Conference of Texas, a group of state legislators, endorsed him for president on Thursday.
"Although the governor has not officially entered the race for president we hope our endorsement will encourage him to do so," said state Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, the Conference's chairman.
