Election 101: 11 questions about Rick Perry and his White House bid

James Richard Perry wants to hang his cowboy hat in the White House. The Texas governor announced Saturday at a campaign stop in South Carolina that he was running for president. He was also traveling later in the day to New Hampshire, and planned a trip to Iowa on Sunday.

Governor Perry is a shrewd politician who oozes Texas swagger. His rock-solid record is buttressed by his state’s impressive jobs record. But is America ready for another cowboy president?

- Husna Haq, Correspondent

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Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, gives a fist pump to Pastor Tony Evans, left, after speaking at The Response, a call to prayer for a nation in crisis, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011, in Houston. Perry is spoke at the daylong prayer rally despite criticism that the event inappropriately mixes religion and politics. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

4. What are his strengths?

"Well, he certainly has the hair,” says James Riddlesperger, a political scientist at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. “Rick Perry is someone who you can underestimate very easily,” says Professor Riddlesperger. “What really stands out is his primary asset – he’s a darn good politician.”

His record bears testament. Under Perry, Texas created more private-sector jobs than all other 49 states combined over the past decade, a huge asset in an election that will center on jobs. He also closed a $15 billion-plus budget deficit without raising taxes, refused $555 million in federal stimulus money from the Obama administration, has a strong border security record, and is a fervent supporter of states’ rights, all stances a Republican electorate will appreciate.

He’s also a fund-raising dynamo with a fat Rolodex from a strong Republican state who likes to campaign and effectively uses three Twitter accounts, text messaging, Facebook, and e-mail to build a grassroots base.

No wonder he’s drawing raves from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, who told his radio audience that if Perry joined the race, “it’s a brand-new day, and it starts all over again.”