Rick Perry, the conservative governor of Texas, announced his candidacy for U.S. president on Saturday, entering the race for the Republican nomination to face Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012.
"My mission as your president will be to get America working again!" Perry, 61, said in a statement issued shortly before he was to address a gathering of conservatives in South Carolina to launch his campaign.
"We object to an Administration that sees its role as spending our children's inheritance on failed economic theories that have given us record debt and left far too many unemployed, threatening not only our economy, but our security. Our reliance on foreign creditors and sources of energy not only compromises our national sovereignty, but jeopardizes our national future."
The three-term Texas governor has touted a record of job growth in Texas and also is known as a fierce critic of federal power and an opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage. He is considered a strong fundraiser.
Perry's entry into the race adds one more contender to a crowded field. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is the front-runner and Perry is likely to be seen as a conservative alternative to Romney.
