With only four days remaining until a key Republican straw poll takes place in Iowa, one name not on the ballot is in the spotlight as talk of pending candidacy heats up. That name is Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Hit the jump to read the rest of the story.
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FNC’s politics reporter Carl Cameron is on the trail and says that an announcement from the governor could come any day. His campaign-in-waiting has said for the last month that he would make a decision within one week to ten days of the straw poll. This weekend, he has a scheduled event in South Carolina, a key campaign state, but soon thereafter, he’ll be traveling to New Hampshire – yet another key campaign state. Where, you wonder, might he travel after his stop-off in New Hampshire? Aides say he’ll likely head to Iowa.
Those anticipating Perry’s entrance into the campaign cite the trips to the three vital states, saying the governor doesn’t need to go to those [key states] unless he’s serious.
If he were to enter, how would Perry’s candidacy impact front-runners like Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Michele Bachmann (R-MN)?
A poll out Monday showed Romney as being the only Republican who could defeat Obama in the state of Texas. If Perry enters, however, those numbers could change, and Perry would likely be in a dead heat with the former Massachusetts governor.
FX