Perry In North Texas For 1st Time As 2012 Candidate
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Expensive cars streamed into the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas Thursday, where Gov. Rick Perry was courting campaign donors. "I want to help elect Rick Perry the next president," said Richard Collins, a Dallas businessman.
Like many Republicans who attended, Collins said, he hadn't decided who to support, until Perry entered the race. "Just shows you how weak the Republican field was, and how they wanted a real conservative who stood up for real Republican values," said Collins.
Just two weeks after announcing his candidacy, Gov. Perry has taken a strong lead in the polls, bolting past his competitors.
A CNN survey of Republicans found 32 percent favored Perry. In second place, Mitt Romney was the top pick for only 18 percent. "To see that kind of meteoric rise, and it has been a meteoric rise, is very unusual," said political analyst, John Weekley.
Perry's lead grew even bigger, when a Gallup poll asked Tea Party members, who they supported. 32 percent said, Perry. Romney and Michelle Bachmann each drew a mere 14%.
"Gov. Rick Perry says, what Tea Partyers want to hear - no taxes, federal government out of our lives, pro-business," said Katrina Pierson, a local Tea Party organizer.
Pierson believes Perry is enjoying a 'honeymoon phase' in his campaign, benefiting from the state's reputation for weathering the tough economy. She's eager, though, to hear how he'll answer the tougher questions. "Those types of things need to be addressed because today as of 2013, we will be $10 billion plus in the shortfall in Texas," she said.
