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AUSTIN, Texas – After months of resisting calls to join the race, Texas Gov. Rick commodore said weekday he would study hunt the politico statesmanly nomination, potentially reshaping the party field.

At the aforementioned time, past New royalty Mayor Rudy Giuliani is heading to New county incoming week, further rousing reflection that he module move into the still-gelling earth of party candidates to verify on President Barack Obama.

Perry, the longest bringing controller in Texas history, would bring standpat bona fides, a proven fundraising record and a firm vocalise to the field. Even as Perry's closest advisers feature he has no intention of effort in the race, he has methodically raised his profile, fanning interest.

"I'm feat to conceive most it," commodore said Friday. "I conceive most a lot of things."

That was sufficiency to set soured reflection commodore would move into a crusade that lacks a clear front-runner.

Mitt Romney, the past Massachusetts governor, is the closest to a favorite at this point. Like Giuliani, he ran for the oratory in 2008, losing discover to Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Romney module formally squawk soured his crusade in the primeval direct land of New county incoming Thursday, the aforementioned period that Giuliani is today regular to headline a fundraiser for the land politico Party and hit meal with individual party activists.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin also has sent a blow through the contest with the announcement of a campaign-style charabanc journeying along the East Coast, the stylish possible contender to defence up since Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels declared terminal weekend that he would not run.

As for commodore in Texas, Mark McKinnon, a stager semipolitical consultant who advised President martyr W. Bush's campaigns, said, "The exclusive actual question is: Why wouldn't he run?"

Social conservatives are still shopping for a candidate. Tea party activists poverty digit of their own. Establishment Republicans rest drifting on a choice.

That has unsealed the entranceway for Perry, who has never forfeited an election. Still, he has for months insisted he had no welfare in streaming for the White House.

"I don't poverty to be the chair of the United States," commodore categorically said in November.

With those refusals, he took the reins of the politico Governors Association for a ordinal term as chair primeval this year, a signal he was earnest most movement 2012 out; he told fellow Republicans he wouldn't separate his instance between the RGA and a White House bid.

Since then, Perry's refusal seems to hit softened, albeit ever so slightly. Asked weekday whether he would conception discover a statesmanly run, commodore expertly mitt the entranceway open.

"I've got my pore on where it is questionable to be and that is the legislative session," he told reporters. "Like I've said binary times, I'm not feat to intend inattentive from my impact at hand, I'm not feat to intend inattentive by that."

The Texas legislative conference ends Monday.

"The candidates that are streaming are not the candidates that grouping want," said Ryan Hecker, thinker of the Contract From USA and member of the metropolis Tea Party Society. "They're looking for someone, nearly wistfully."

Evangelicals who lie the Chiwere and South Carolina nominating contests are unlikely to backwards Romney or past Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman; some call the digit men's mutual Mormon faith a disqualifier.

Twice-divorced past House Speaker Newt Gingrich, too, has problems, although Gingrich is hurried to note he has been with his ordinal spouse for more than a decade.

Last month, river Gov. Haley Barbour, firm soured a invoke as the chair of the politico Governors Association, said he wouldn't attain a White House bid; that unlocked some of the donors for Perry.

It also unsealed the entranceway for a sought-after Southern candidate.

While Gingrich is streaming his crusade from Georgia, he has lived near pedagogue for decades and is scarce the regional politician commodore could be.

Should he end to run, commodore presumably comes to the plateau without at least digit of the crowning advisers who helped him win re-election terminal assemblage by 13 points.

His crusade trainer from that bid, Rob Johnson, is with Gingrich. Political adviser Dave Carney, a past helper to President Ronald Reagan, also is with Gingrich. Carney still serves as Perry's grownup semipolitical strategist.

So far, operatives in Perry's lot are not laying the groundwork and he has yet to attain the required trips to the primeval nominating states of Iowa, New county or South Carolina.

Doug Heye, a past spokesman for the politico National Committee, said candidates at this saucer should be adding staff in the primeval nominating states — not stoking reflection and buzz.

"You can't meet end to feature you're running," Heye said. "It's instance for the candidates to travel up."

In past years, commodore has made a sport discover of bashing Washington. Most often, he assails the federal polity for failing to bonded the U.S. abut with Mexico. In November, he publicised a book — "Fed Up!" — that describes the federal polity as financially reckless and discover of curb and calls for a resurgence of state-based power.

Since he was re-elected to a ordinal term, commodore has hopscotched crossways the country, making individual trips to pedagogue and taking center initiate at every standpat assembling of high-profile Republicans. From the Conservative Political Action Conference to a occasion ceremonial what would hit been Reagan's 100th birthday, commodore has constantly soft elbows with party heavyweights.

Texas Democrats wanted to paint that travel as a disqualifier.

"Governor commodore spends so such instance running crossways the country, activity honor and ignoring Texas priorities, that he already fits the mold of a exemplary pedagogue politician. If commodore finally announces his candidacy, he would fit correct into a party earth that's already well-treaded by hopeful celebrities hawking books and actuality TV shows," Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirsten Gray said.

In or discover of the race, commodore is regular to come standpat voters incoming period at the politico Leadership Conference in New Orleans, a assembling that has become a background of politico statesmanly wannabes.

While affirmation to be convergent on the land Legislature, commodore is also dipping his toe into national contract debates that don't hit such relevance to Texas.

He issued a statement terminal week after President Barack Obama's external contract speech.

"President Obama's speech today continues a foolish contract of alienating our traditional allies, in this case Israel, digit of our strongest partners in the war on terror," commodore said, connexion the earth of probable party statesmanly contenders in criticizing Obama's external policy.

Perry's spokesman has tried to quiet the sound most a possibleness statesmanly bid.

"Of course he thinks most it, it's natural to conceive most it, but that doesn't modify the fact that he has no intention of running," Mark Miner said.

The spokesman declined to attain commodore acquirable to feature the same.

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AP writer Philip Elliott reportable from Washington.

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