Report: Rick Perry Will Announce for President in Late August

It's reported today that Governor Rick Perry is planning to launch his presidential campaign a few weeks from now, between August 15th and August 31st.

Rumors that Perry would announce in late August have circulated all summer, but the report from RealClearPolitics is one of first to have specific dates — albeit in a two-week range — attached.

That timeline will give Perry a chance to survey the field after the influential Ames Straw Poll.  Historically, the Republican presidential field is winnowed significantly after the Iowa straw poll.

Perry won't be "winnowed" out because Iowa Republicans have decided that Perry won't appear on the straw poll ballot because he is still an unofficial candidate.

Some past “victims” of the culling include former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and former GOP Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole.

via Report: Rick Perry plans to announce his presidential candidacy in late August | Texas on the Potomac | a Chron.com blog.

Texas Senator John Cornyn says he thinks Perry has done a great job as governor, but he will not endorse Perry or any other candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.

Cornyn is chairman of the Senate Republicans’ Campaign Committee, and he says his job in that role is to "make friends, not enemies."  He says he wants to get Republicans elected to the Senate, without  alienating Republicans by getting involved in intramural presidential battles.

via John Cornyn lauds Rick Perry but says he won’t endorse Texas governor for president | Texas on the Potomac | a Chron.com blog.