Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced on his Web site Thursday that he is running for president a second time, joining an already crowded Republican field of contenders, reports The Huffington Post.
In a video featuring a montage of U.S. landmarks and Perry meeting with mostly white groups of people, he claims the country needs a leader that can revive “this American dream again.”
“You see a lot of candidates will say the right things. Whether it’s about the border, whether it’s about taxes, whether it’s about spending, but we need a president who has done the right thing,” Perry said in the video. “We need a president who bridges the partisan divide rather than widens.”
Perry has a long history of opposition to gay rights, reported Towle Road in May. He once called the state’s sodomy ban “appropriate,” but later said he’d forgotten what the case was about. He championed Texas’ 2005 marriage amendment, holding an unnecessary ceremonial signing at a Fort Worth church. And more recently, Perry — long plagued by rumors that he’s closeted — compared homosexuality to alcoholism in response to a question about so-called reparative therapy.
