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[h=4]Rick Perry launches 2016 presidential campaign[/h]Rick Perry joins the crowded 2016 GOP presidential field.
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USA TODAY's Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page explains the four reasons why Rick Perry is worth watching for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2016. (USA NEWS, USA TODAY)
Former Texas governor Rick Perry smiles after announcing that he will run for president in 2016 on June 4, 2015, in Addison, Texas.(Photo: Ron Jenkins, Getty Images)
ADDISON, Texas — Former governor Rick Perry officially kicked off his second bid for the White House on Thursday with a blistering critique of the Obama years and a campaign pitch that touted his record in Texas.
"We have the power to make things new again, to project America's strength again, and to get our economy going again. And that is exactly why today I am running for the presidency of the United States of America," Perry told supporters at the kickoff of his campaign.
Perry announced his candidacy in front of a C-130 prop plane in an oversized hanger at the Addison Airport in this Dallas suburb.
USA TODAY
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The aircraft, emblazoned with the "Perry for President" logo, is similar to those he flew while serving as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Guests at the announcement included American Sniper widow Taya Kyle and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, author of Lone Survivor.
During his speech, Perry highlighted his credentials as a former military officer. He also reminded supporters of Texas' economic prosperity during his 14 years as governor. Economic polices used in Texas – lowering taxes, lessening regulation, stopping frivolous lawsuits – could be imported to Washington, he said.
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Former Texas Governor Rick Perry announces he is running in the 2016 presidential election. VPC
"It can be done because it has been done – in Texas!" Perry said to cheers and chants of "Run Rick Run!" from the audience.
Perry recounted his modest upbringing on a cotton farm in rural Texas. He also wasted no time criticizing the Obama administration, blaming slow economic growth on overregulation and President Obama's economic policy.
"We are a resilient country," Perry said. "We've been through a civil war, two world wars, the Great Depression – we even made it through Jimmy Carter. We will make it through the Obama years."
Perry made a series of "first-day as president" promises, including helping millions of graduates with college debt, lowering the corporate tax rate and signing an executive order approving the Keystone XL Pipeline.
He also made repeated references to reducing the role of government.
"We need to return power to the states and freedom to the individuals," he said.
ONPOLITICS
Perry endorsed by 'American Sniper' widow
Perry, whose campaign website launched earlier Thursday morning, joins a growing field of Republican presidential hopefuls that, with his entry, now numbers 10 candidates. That list will grow in the comings weeks and will likely soon include former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who said Thursday morning he would announce his decision on June 15.
ONPOLITICS
Jeb Bush sets June 15 announcement date
Attendees at Perry's campaign kickoff represented a cross-section of supporters – from students and moms to business owners and clergy.
Chandler Wahrmund, 20, a junior at Texas A&M University, Perry's alma mater, drove four hours early Thursday from College Station to attend. He said he liked Perry's independent spirit and thought the former governor would perform better this time around in the crowded Republican field.
"Witnessing history," Wahrmund said as he stood in the 83-degree heat for his turn to enter. "He's a Texan and proud of it. We could use someone like that in the White House."
Eli Clardy, 17, said he carefully examined the other Republican candidates running for president and decided Perry was the best choice. He and his mom and sister drove down from Alma, Ark., to attend the event.
"Rick Perry has the direction we want to see this country headed," said Clardy, a high school senior.
Perry await his arrival Thursday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Ron Jenkins, Getty Images)
Though he left office on Jan. 20, Perry has unfinished business back home in Austin. He was indicted last year on felony counts of abusing his power as governor by threatening to veto funding for a district attorney unless she resigned because of a drunk-driving arrest. Perry has denounced the case as a political witch hunt, and conservatives have rallied to his cause.
Perry, 65,begins the race with a slate of deep-pocket donors such as billionaire Red McCombs, founder of Clear Channel, who have bankrolled his Texas campaigns.
ONPOLITICS
Six things to know about Rick Perry
The question is whether Perry can erase doubts raised about his readiness for the White House after his 2012 bid. Once touted as Mitt Romney's biggest threat, the longest-serving governor in Texas history made a series of self-inflicted campaign mistakes that showed he was ill-prepared for the rigors of a national campaign.
Even before Perry uttered "oops" in a nationally televised debate when he couldn't remember the name of the third federal agency he wanted to eliminate, the Texan's campaign was in shambles because of his inability to rebut Romney's attacks on his record.
Perry finished fifth in the Iowa caucuses and limped into New Hampshire. He quit just days before the South Carolina primary and endorsed former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who briefly gave Romney a scare but also ended up losing the Republican nomination.
"It was the weakest Republican field in history, and they kicked my butt," Perry said in a self-deprecating speech at the 2012 Gridiron Club dinner.
Perry also comes into the 2016 race competing for the support of social and fiscal conservatives aligned with the Tea Party — his natural base — with rivals such as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz, a fellow Texan.
Perry's spent time repairing his tattered image in the hopes of fulfilling his vow to be much better prepared in his second presidential go-round.
ONPOLITICS
Rick Perry schedules 9 Iowa events
Last year, Perry remained on the national stage as a forceful critic of Obama's border security strategy. He deployed National Guard troops to the Texas border with Mexico to stem the tide of drug smugglers and unaccompanied children from Central American countries.
The deployment of the National Guard was in contrast to the stances Perry took in the 2012 campaign, in which he defended the Texas law he signed as governor granting college tuition to children of undocumented immigrants. Perry was branded in 2012 as "soft" on immigration by conservative rivals such as Rick Santorum, and slammed Romney and other critics of the in-state tuition policy by saying "I don't think you have a heart."
Freed by his decision not run for another term as Texas governor, Perry schooled himself in foreign policy, economics and other issues that dominate presidential campaigns by bringing in outside advisers for tutorials.
Perry, frequently dismissed by Texas Democrats as a lightweight, told MSNBC that running for president "is not an IQ test" but an examination of someone's resolve, philosophy and life experiences. Given his 2012 presidential campaign, however, Perry conceded that he's got little wiggle room in the 2016 election cycle.
"Everybody has some margin for error," Perry told MSNBC in December. "I've probably got less than some other folks, but that's OK."
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Jump into the political way-back machine to see three decades of presidential hopefuls announce their big plans. VPC
Camia reported from Washington
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