Jay Root is a native of Liberty. He never knew any reporters growing up, and he has never taken a journalism class in his life. But somehow he got hooked on the news business. It all started when Root walked into the offices of The Daily Texan, his college newspaper, during his last year at the University of Texas in 1987. He couldn't resist the draw: it was the biggest collection of misfits ever assembled. After graduating, he took a job at a Houston chemical company and soon realized it wasn't for him. Root applied for an unpaid internship at the Houston Post in 1990, and it turned into a full-time job that same year. He has been a reporter ever since. Root has covered natural disasters, live music and Texas politics — not necessarily in that order. He was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for a dozen years, most of them good. He also covered politics and the Legislature for The Associated Press before joining the staff of the Tribune.Root is the author of “Oops! A Diary From The 2012 Campaign Trail,” an insider’s account of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s dramatic collapse in the 2012 presidential race. The book was released in September, 2012.
jroot@texastribune.org
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Excerpt from an interview between Jay Root and Sheriff Joe Arpaio about Gov. Rick Perry.
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Gov. Rick Perry had been expected to appear in Bastrop County today to tour areas damaged by wildfires and hold a press briefing, but after state and local officials spoke at the briefing, aides said that the governor had remained in Austin.
Full StoryGov. Rick Perry took shots from all directions Wednesday in his first nationally televised debate as his opponents unloaded on the presidential front-runner again and again, seeking relevance in a line of questioning that largely centered on Perry.
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Hordes of reporters have descended onto the grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to see if Rick Perry will stumble or shine in his first nationally televised debate.
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Rick Perry's front-running presidential campaign went on the attack a day before the Texas governor is scheduled to appear at his first nationally televised debate. The campaign hit both Mitt Romney, Perry's main challenger, and Ron Paul, who unveiled a new attack ad against the governor.
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Rick Perry missed his first opportunity to appear on a national stage with his Republican rivals, but the absence of the presidential front-runner did not keep him out of the conversation.
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With wildfires raging outside of Austin, Gov. Rick Perry is leaving the campaign trail to return to his home state, the governor's office confirmed this morning.
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Rick Perry, taking a dig at rival presidential candidate Mitt Romney on his home turf, urged New Hampshire voters Saturday to steer clear of Republicans who seem too much like the president they want to replace.
Full StoryGov. Rick Perry, the GOP frontrunner in the race for the White House, mingled with voters today in the crucial early primary state of New Hampshire.
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Gov. Rick Perry announced who's running his presidential campaign Friday, bestowing official titles on the staff that has brought him into hallowed front-runner status in a matter of a couple of weeks.
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Religious conservatives spent hours with Gov. Rick Perry last weekend, questioning him on a range of issues, including his personal life. Perry, with his wife, Anita, at his side, promised that nothing in his past should worry them.
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He hasn't gotten to wear the "front-runner" crown for very long, but Gov. Rick Perry is already discovering that it comes with a price tag: His rivals are starting to unload on him.
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To hear him tell it on the presidential campaign trail, Gov. Rick Perry has never met a tax increase he liked. But over a political career that reaches back to the 1980s, he has embraced billions of dollars worth of them.
Despite the national media's intense scrutiny of his history of appointing big-dollar donors to high-profile positions, Gov. Rick Perry named two such donors to key boards Wednesday.
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Presidential candidates typically claw their way into the nation’s consciousness. Rick Perry took a bullet train. He's expected back in Austin this weekend after one of the most extraordinary weeks of his life.
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