AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) - A recent interview and a planned political trip to the nation's first caucus state might be construed as signs Texas Gov. Rick Perry is tipping his hand on a second presidential run.
During a May 4 interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Perry confessed to botching his first run at the White House, but then said, "I think America is a place that believes in second chances."
Perry also said he would go across the country talking about red state versus blue state policies and to hopefully engage in good conversation about how to make America more competitive domestically and internationally.
On May 29, Perry will visit Iowa for campaign stops on behalf of Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, according to Real Clear Politics.
Texas could be a breeding ground for 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls.
Aside from Perry, some other speculated candidates with Texas ties include U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky. Paul is the son of former U.S. Rep. and former presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas.
On Thursday, former President and Texas Gov. George W. Bush told CNN he hoped his younger brother Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, would run in 2016.
However, despite their ties to Texas, Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history, is the only perspective candidate who can point to the Lone Star state's robust economy as a selling point.
In 2012, Texas was America's second largest state economy, producing $1.4 trillion of economic output in 2012, placing it just slightly behind the world's 13th largest country by GDP - Australia - with $1.56 trillion of economic output, according to aei-ideas.org.
In 2013, Texas added more jobs than any other state, leading the nation in job growth for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Bureau of Labor.
From Legal Newsline: Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.
Rick Perry tells NBC America 'believes in second chances'
