Sardined into Chaf-In Restaurant, about 150 supporters raised a spirited cheer as Gov. Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry emerged from the kitchen.
Perry landed at Cleburne Regional Airport about 1:30 p.m. Sunday for a campaign stop at the historic Cleburne diner.
Although most supporters crowded into the restaurant well before the Perrys arrived, several, including state Rep. Rob Orr, R-Burleson, and Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon, waited outside to greet the governor.
Among those supporters was Cheryl Blackburn, a teacher of more than 30 years at Keene Adventist Elementary School.
“One of my buddies spent 37 years in the Marine Corps; I imagine that’s about the same,” Perry joked upon meeting Blackburn.
Introducing her husband, Anita Perry, commented on the pair’s late arrival.
“We’re sorry to be running late,” Anita Perry said. “We’ve been to church twice already today.”
Perry, who faces Democratic opponent Bill White in the Nov. 2 election, took a few minutes to state his case for re-election.
“I’m going to be brief because I know everyone’s ready to get home and watch the Dallas Cowboys,” Perry said. “Texas is the greatest state in the nation because we’ve had the good sense to elect good conservative leaders.
“It’s pretty simple: Don’t spend all the money, keep taxes low and regulations fair, then get out of the way and let the private sector do what it does best.”
On Monday, Perry and his opponent, Democrat Bill White, cast ballots as early voting started in Texas.
“I voted right,” The Associated Press reported the Republican governor saying after he and his wife, Anita, voted at an Austin grocery store.
White and his wife, Andrea, voted at a Houston community center, according to The AP. The former Houston mayor told reporters he did not vote a straight Democratic ticket.
“I usually tend to go through office by office and position by position,” he said, adding, “We need to get away from this strident partisanship and the sound bite politics.”
Perry took a moment Sunday to brag on the Lone Star State saying that Texas leads the nation in economic recovery thanks to fiscal conservative leadership.
“In the 2000s, Texas created more jobs than all the rest of the states combined,” Perry said. “It’s staggering. Four out of five private-sector jobs created were in Texas.”
If re-elected, Perry said he will lead the effort to balance the budget and not raise taxes on small businesses.
Although many are predicting significant victories for Republicans nationwide in the mid-term election, Perry warned supporters not to let up.
“Everyone’s excited all across the country and we have the wind to our backs,” Perry said. “But now is the time we have to run our hardest. [Monday] starts early voting. So get out and vote early, and get on the phone to all your friends and get them out to vote, too.”
Working his way through the dining room, Perry high-fived several supporters and paused for a few words with others.
“I know we have some tea party people here,” Perry yelled.
After a few words, Perry spent about 45 minutes visiting with supporters and posing for pictures.
Local News
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Gov. Rick Perry rallies supporters at Chaf-In Restaurant during a Sunday visit to Cleburne. Matt Smith/Times-Review
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