Rick Perry has thrown his hat in the ring as a Republican candidate against current Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas.
But before you go to thinking there’s a big Texas show-down about to take place between the incumbent and and his predecessor, the man who showed up on the the official list of GOP candidates when the party updated it on Monday is not the state’s longest serving governor (2000-2015) who went on to become President Donald Trump’s energy secretary. That would be James Richard Perry.
The man set to be on the next primary ballot is Ricky Lynn Perry from Springtown, Texas, northwest of Fort Worth, reports The Texas Tribune.
But on his filing form, he lists his name as “Rick Perry” as the way he wants it on the ballot — just like the former governor.
If you think that might cause some confusion, you’re not the only one, and Abbott’s people say that’s just what it’s intended to do.
Dave Carney, Abbott’s top campaign strategist called the move “another stupid pet trick” that “will backfire as these stunts always do.”
According to the Tribune, Perry’s form was notarized by Tony McDonald, a lawyer in Austin who is active in anti-established conservative circles and has supported Don Huffines, one of Abbott’s other primary opponents.
When asked by the Tribune about Perry, McDonald said Perry is a “good conservative activist from Parker County” and is someone he knows through a “friend of a friend.”
McDonald told the paper he is supporting Perry and is his campaign treasurer.
When asked if one of Abbott’s existing challengers had asked Perry to run, McDonald replied that he was “not aware of that.”
But a Tony McDonald from Travis County, where Austin is located, was still listed as endorsing Huffines on his website.
“Maybe that’s another Tony McDonald from Travis County?” McDonald told the Tribune. “You know those sorts of mix-ups happen.” He tweeted he had donated to Huffines campaign but had not “endorsed” him, the Tribune reported.
Neither Rick Perry commented to the paper for the story, but a LinkedIn profile for a Rick Perry from Springtown says his current job is senior desktop technician for Lockheed Martin, the Tribune reported. The company told the paper that he is a staffing agency employee who is contracted to Lockheed Martin.
