The Texas governor will almost certainly launch a broadside against current GOP front-runner Mitt Romney this weekend when he takes the wraps off his campaign for president.

Perry has been the governor of Texas since George W. Bush handed over the reins in 2000 and currently presides over a catastrophic drought and a rather embarrassing budget deficit.

He is said to appeal to social conservatives and tea party types and could make a big splash in a GOP pool without many strong swimmers. — PZS

Los Angeles Times:

Perry “would have at least a 50-50 shot at beating him,” said Curt Anderson, a GOP consultant who worked for Romney previously but is not involved in his campaign.

The Texan has strong ties to both social conservatives and the party establishment, through his work as head of the Republican Governors Assn. He preached to more than 30,000 fundamentalist Christians over the weekend at a Houston stadium rally that showcased his religious beliefs.

He would be the only sitting governor in the GOP race and could count a lucrative fundraising base in his home state to get his campaign launched. Among the questions facing his candidacy, including his ability to perform on the national stage, will be the degree to which financial backers of former President George W. Bush, whose relations with Perry are cool, at best, will open their wallets to him.

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