After Losing Cheney's Endorsement, Perry Touts Support Of Another Conservative

October 29, 2009 2:01 p.m. EST

Austin, TX (AHN) - A day after losing the endorsement of former Vice President Dick Cheney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is touting the backing of another prominent conservative, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who has long been reported as a potential Republican contender for the White House in 2012.

"Gov. Perry's efforts to limit government and restrain spending have kept Texas strong in the face of our nation's economic downturn," Barbour, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement on Thursday. "His ongoing leadership is precisely what Texas needs to maintain its competitive position nationally and what our nation should look to as a model of good governance."

Perry is currently the longest consecutive serving governor. Not constrained by term limits, he is seeking a third four-year term. The 59-year-old Republican has been touting his conservative credentials over a more moderate rival, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), but on Wednesday failed to grab the backing of Cheney.

The former Vice President will formally endorse Hutchison next month, but the Hutchison campaign has been spreading word about the endorsement.

But Perry has downplayed the loss, telling KVET during a morning jog that he'd rather have the support of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin than Cheney's. The governor has been focusing his campaign on the economy, touting praise from pundits, such as a report from Moody's Economy's report that Austin and Houston are among the first cities in the nation to emerge from recession, and another from Forbes saying the same two cities and San Antonio and Dallas Ft. Worth are among the top recession-proof cities to retire in.

A former state lawmaker and Texas State Treasurer, Hutchinson is the first and only woman in the state to win a Senate seat. She has two full terms under her belt, having won her first term during a 1993 special election to fill the vacancy from former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen's appointment to the Clinton Cabinet.

Potential and announced candidates for the Democratic primary in the race include former Ambassador and Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer, a Democrat and the brother of CBS reporter Bob Schieffer, Kinky Friedman, a 2006 independent gubernatorial candidate and former Texas Monthly columnist, and former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle.