Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered his farewell address to his state legislature Thursday by touting bipartisanship, in an address that doubled as a preview of the message he is likely to espouse if he enters the 2016 presidential race.
With days left in his term, Mr. Perry closed his historic 14-year run as the state’s longest serving governor by urging members of his party to “not place purity ahead of unity.”
“Ronald Reagan knew that someone who agreed with him 80 percent of the time was not his enemy, but his friend,” Mr. Perry said. “There is room for different voices, for disagreement.”
“Compromise is not a dirty word if it moves Texas forward,” he said. “If members of this body work across party lines and put Texas first, I believe the best is yet to come.”
The Democratic National Committee and Texas Democratic Party accused Mr. Perry of trying to hide his real record.
“The real legacy of Rick Perry is putting his allies and special interests ahead of Texas families, supporting an economy that works for the wealthy few, and leaving middle class and low income families behind,” the groups said in a joint memo, which also highlighted the two felony counts Mr. Perry faces stemming from a political fight over a local prosecutor’s budget.
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Mr. Perry is looking to rebound from his disastrous 2012 run for president, where he was pressured to enter the race in an attempt to thwart former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney from winning the nomination.
After shooting ahead in the polls, Mr. Perry stumbled in a series of political gaffes, including his infamous moment in the middle of a debate where he could not recall all of the three federal agencies that planned to abolish. Mr. Perry dropped out of the race before the South Carolina primary.
Since then, Mr. Perry has been open about his 2012 missteps and appears to be laying the foundation for another run.
He has made several trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, the opening stops on the nomination calendar, and he plans to speak next week at Rep. Steve King’s “Freedom Summit” in Iowa, which is widely viewed as the kickoff to the early primary fight.
Polls this time show him running toward the back of the likely pack of contenders.
In his address Thursday, Mr. Perry said bipartisanship in the legislature has helped put the state on stronger financial footing and created the best economic environment in the nation.
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Mr. Perry also touted his support of drug court, and diversion programs that together have treated addiction “as a disease and not a moral failing,” which he said have allowed the state to close three prisons.
He also touted his resolve on immigration.
“Texas has done more to secure the border than any state in the nation,” he said. “As long as Washington will not secure the border, Texas will be equal to the task.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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