By Jeff Zeleny - New York Times
DES MOINES Gov. Rick Perry of Texas delivered a long-distance jolt to the Republican presidential campaign on Monday by signaling that he intends to join the race and visit South Carolina and New Hampshire on Saturday the same day his rivals are battling for survival in the Iowa Straw Poll.
Mr. Perry has flirted with the notion of running for months but his decision comes as the Republican field tries to respond to a downgrade in the nations credit rating a collapse in the financial markets and a sustained period of high unemployment. These troubles have created an opening for his candidacy.
There is still a thirst for another voice to come in" said Craig Schoenfeld an Iowa Republican who is leading a group here called Americans for Perry which has been signing up supporters for the governor. They are looking for the kind of leadership he has shown in Texas while the country has gone the other direction."
While Mr. Perry will stop short of making an announcement this weekend aides said he is recruiting campaign workers in critical states securing fund-raising commitments and preparing to be fully engaged in the race by early next month when Republicans meet for three debates. Advisers said he had moved beyond the trial-balloon stage of gauging support to executing a strategy.
The first test of his impact on the race could come as soon as Saturday when candidates descend on Ames for the Iowa Straw Poll a test of organizational strength. His name will not be on the ballot but Americans for Perry the independent group financed by several friends and political associates has been urging supporters to cast a write-in ballot for him. That effort could erode support from his rivals.
In a week when Republican candidates had hoped to introduce themselves to voters through the rituals of the Iowa State Fair featuring the famed butter cow and old-time speeches on the political soapbox the spotlight of the race was suddenly yanked south. The rollout of Mr. Perrys prospective presidential bid threw a volatile new element into the contest.
The intentions of Mr. Perry which were the subject of considerable political chatter in Iowa and New Hampshire on Monday were being carefully watched by the rest of the Republican field. The candidates including Michele Bachmann Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney traveled across both early-voting states delivering forceful critiques of how President Obama has handled the latest stretch of bleak economic news.
Mr. Romney told voters in New Hampshire that the decision by Standard & Poors to downgrade the nations credit rating was the latest example of a failure of leadership in Washington. He said the president should take ultimate responsibility for the downgrade.
As they assess the Republican field many voters seem to be more eager to hear about the candidates than listen to attacks on the president. At a town-hall-style meeting on Monday evening when asked whether he could compete in all regions of the country Mr. Romney declared Im going to do pretty darn well in Dixie."
You know there was a poll I guess it was about a month ago that was a little surprising" Mr. Romney said making a veiled reference to Mr. Perry. It had me as the only Republican candidate who in Texas could beat President Obama. I think I was ahead by eight points. No one else was ahead of him."
At the same hour that the president spoke from the White House and tried to reassure Americans about the credit downgrade and the quavering economy Mr. Perry inched closer to declaring his candidacy and Donald Trump threatened to re-enter the presidential race as an independent during an extended interview on CNN.
The commotion threatened to overshadow the rest of the Republican field.
Mr. Pawlenty who said the future of his candidacy was dependent on a strong showing at the straw poll said a culture of entertainment and celebrity had bled into the political arena. Over breakfast with reporters he conceded that we are not ever going to be the cable TV shooting star of the month."
At least for president at least for the Oval Office" Mr. Pawlenty said I think the country is still going to put somebody in there who is experienced seasoned strong thoughtful with a record of results."
When Mrs. Bachmanns blue campaign bus rolled into the parking lot of the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic Iowa on Monday a modest crowd was on hand. She is seeking to turn the enthusiasm that has flared in the first two months of her candidacy into an organized force that can pass its first test of strength at the partys straw poll.
So much bad news this last week" Mrs. Bachmann said. The problem is we have not had someone in the White House who has had the backbone to make these tough decisions that have to be made."
The crises back in Washington along with the attack on a helicopter in Afghanistan that killed 30 Americans cast a serious and somber tone over the presidential race. At each campaign stop Mrs. Bachmann offered a prayer for the fallen and took a moment to identify Jon Tumilson a member of the Navy Seal team from Rockford Iowa.
Michael Shear contributed reporting from Des Moines and Ashley Parker from Concord N.H.
