Who is Rick Perry?

Who is Rick Perry? If you haven't heard by now you soon will: the longest serving governor in the history of Texas announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in Charleston, South Carolina.

For background, here's some of the more insightful profiles and reporting on Perry's life and times.

Boy's Life: Rick Perry – Texas Monthly

We were fairly self-sustaining. Mom was a very, very good seamstress and still is. She made my sister's clothes; she made a lot of my shirts. Now, with blue jeans we wore Levi's. But when I went to college, Mother still made my underwear.

50 things you need to know about Rick Perry - Texas Cable News

He has never lost an election, including an elementary school contest for "king" of the Paint Creek School Carnival. He secured that win by handing out pennies for votes.

Taking a Look at the Governor, Back When He Was a Democrat – New York Times

Another political move Mr Perry made back then: he was a top Texas supporter and organizer in 1988 for Al Gore, who ran as a Southern conservative rather than the populist reformer he eventually became as the 2000 Democratic presidential nominee.

At second glance, Texas Gov Rick Perry not as conservative as some think – The Hill

There's no mistaking it – Perry is a strong conservative. He's favored some of the most pro-growth, anti-abortion-rights and pro-gun measures of any state. But it's a mistake to say that he takes his talking points from a Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.

Perry Breaks With a Fellow Texan: Bush – New York Times

The tensions first spilled out publicly in 2007, when a video wound up on YouTube capturing Mr Perry speaking dismissively of Mr Bush at a Republican house party in Iowa for former Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani of New York. In the video, Mr Perry said, "George Bush was never a fiscal conservative — never was," adding, "I mean, '95, '97, '99, George Bush was spending money."

Texas A&M Years Launched Perry and a Rivalry – Texas Tribune

When Rick Perry arrived at Texas A&M University in 1968, it was at the end of a summer in which Soviet troops crushed the Prague Spring, protesters at the Democratic National Convention were met by a police riot and the United States reeled from the twin assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F Kennedy.

The Lone Star candidate - the Economist

Of the many reasons to fancy his chances, one is that winning has become a habit. Three consecutive victories in Texas have made Mr Perry America's longest-serving governor. His most recent primary, against the popular Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2010, was not expected to be a walkover but he made it one.

Perry Has a Prayer - National Review Online

He knows how to talk like an evangelical," remarks Richard Land, director of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and another honorary co-chair of the prayer day. "His heart is in the right place. On most [cultural conservative] issues he's had a good record as governor. He will appeal to evangelicals.

Rick Perry: The pro-Shariah candidate? – Salon

Perry is a friend of the Aga Khan, the religious leader of the Ismailis, a sect of Shia Islam that claims a reported 15 to 20 million adherents worldwide. Sprouting from that friendship are at least two cooperation agreements between the state of Texas and Ismaili institutions, including a far-reaching program to educate Texas schoolchildren about Islam.

Money No Obstacle as Perry Joins GOP Race – New York Times

He is the most successful fund-raiser in the history of Texas politics," said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, a watchdog organization that tracks campaign spending. "He may be the best in the country. He will have no trouble raising the money he needs for his presidential campaign.

The 10 Worst Things About Rick Perry – AlterNet

In addition to his changing concerns over government intrusion, Perry's also got a bit of a consistency problem where states' rights are concerned – once again, when it comes to women's bodies. Perry recently said he wanted Roe v Wade overturned so states could decide for themselves. But then he declared his support for a federal constitutional amendment that would overturn Roe and ban abortion nationwide.