Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry is looking towards the future, with one eye still on the past.
The Texas Republican, who will step down from his post in early 2015, is widely seen as a leading Republican presidential contender for 2016. Perry, who had been elected lieutenant governor when Bush won his second term, was sworn into office as the 47th Texas governor on Dec. 21, 2000, and he went on to win three consecutive four-year terms. The Texas Republican is now the longest serving governor in Texas history, a feat that has not gone unnoticed by the Republican governor.
“Americans are begging for a positive view of the future, for an individual who’s got a record of being able to make a better future for their families,” said the Texas Republican in an interview with CNN. “And that’s exactly what we’ve done in Texas over the last fourteen years, more jobs created than any other state a third of all the jobs created in America since I’ve been governor, created in Texas.”
Perry, who has not yet indicated whether he will seek the 2016 presidential nomination, stumbled badly in 2012 after entering the race as the perennial favorite. Perry, who led polls for a short time, eventually ended his bid following a debate debacle that left the Texas politician politically wounded.
The race for president in 2016 will likely draw a similarly diverse field of candidates. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush recently announced plans to explore a run, a preliminary step that is expected to precede an official announcement some time in 2015.
However, Perry’s time in the Texas executive mansion is likely to serve him well. The Texas Republican, speaking in 2012, said he had learned a number of lessons from his unsuccessful run for president. Perry noted that he would seriously reconsider a bid for president following the end of his fourth term as Texas governor.
