--- title: Rick Perry Announces 2016 Presidential Bid description: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry became the 10th Republican to officially run for president Thursday. canonical: https://time.com/3909057/rick-perry-2016-campaign-launch/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-04T16:51:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T07:33:15.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rick Perry Announces Presidential Bid og:description: Hopes for better fate than in doomed 2012 campaign og:url: https://time.com/3909057/rick-perry-2016-campaign-launch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ee4039f76daf17/698853220b72e37d6e6e4524/rick-perry1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Rick Perry president og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rick Perry Announces Presidential Bid twitter:description: Hopes for better fate than in doomed 2012 campaign twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ee4039f76daf17/698853220b72e37d6e6e4524/rick-perry1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rick Perry Announces Presidential Bid ## Video: Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Announcement [Watch (HLS stream): Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Announcement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8p9WGJ5W.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2015-06-04. Gov. Rick Perry Presidential Announcement_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) and [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:33 AM UTCPublished: Jun 4, 2015 4:51 PM UTC  Former Texas Governor Rick Perry smiles after announcing that he will run for president in 2016 on June 4, 2015 in Dallas. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry smiles after announcing that he will run for president in 2016 on June 4, 2015 in Dallas.Ron Jenkins—Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) and [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:33 AM UTCPublished: Jun 4, 2015 4:51 PM UTC Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry became the 10th Republican to officially run for president on Thursday. In a speech in a Dallas suburb, the long-serving Texas governor attempted to turn back the clock on his failed 2012 attempt, which foundered when he fell short against other Republicans in debates, famously forgetting one of his own campaign platforms mid-answer—his “oops” moment. On Thursday, Perry said, “It’s time for a reset.” “We have the power to make things new again,”he said, “to project America’s strength again and to get our economy going again. And that is exactly why I am running for President of the United States of America.” **_Read More:_**[_Read Full Text of Rick Perry’s Campaign Launch_](http://time.com/3909562/rick-perry-campaign-launch-transcript/) Perry has sought a low-key rehabilitation, seeking to rebuild his reputation with interviews meant to show his command of the issues. As a former governor, he also hopes to [differentiate himself](http://time.com/3825468/rick-perry-rand-paul-ted-cruz-marco-rubio/) from a field thick with Republican senators, including Sens. Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham. During his speech Thursday, Perry called Texas the “engine of growth” under his leadership and noted his record as governor, highlighting his handling of last summer’s crisis involving unaccompanied minors crossing the Southwestern border. “If you elect me your president, I will secure that border,” he said. Still, he faces some trouble back home, as a Texas grand jury indicted him last year on [two abuse-of-power charges](http://time.com/3686128/rick-perry-indictment/) which claim he broke the law when he threatened and vetoed funding for a district attorney who was arrested for drunk-driving. Perry has denied wrongdoing and called the indictments politically motivated. In a brief one-minute video posted ahead of the speech, Perry said the United States was showing “weakness abroad” and a “slow recovery economically” and said he would “bridge the partisan divide.” Perry currently polls at the bottom of the Republican pack, picking up [an average of 2.7% support](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016%5Frepublican%5Fpresidential%5Fnomination-3823.html) in the Real Clear Politics average of polls. That puts him right at the cusp of [being invited on stage](http://time.com/3846448/republican-debates-2016/) at the official GOP debates, which are being limited due to the unusually large field. **Read More:** [_Rick Perry’s Lone Star Do-Over_](http://time.com/3908633/rick-perrys-lone-star-do-over/) ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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