The Midday Brief: Oct. 4, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Saying 'now is not my time,' Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced on Tuesday that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the presidency." — Opting Out of Race, Christie Says, ‘Now Is Not My Time,' The New York Times

• "Presidential candidates Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are boycotting a proposed Univision debate due to what they say were unethical journalistic practices in the way the Spanish-language media giant handled Sen. Marco Rubio, a vice presidential short-lister." — Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman are boycotting Univision debate over Rubio, Miami Herald

• "Louisa Imperiale, Rick Perry's deputy finance director, is leaving the campaign, according to GOP sources. … Imperiale didn't respond to an email, but sources familiar with her exit said It wasn't due to any Perry money struggles.  In fact, these sources noted, Perry will raise over $15 million for the quarter." — Rick Perry finance aide leaving, Politico
  

• "Dogged by a duck, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Monday sought to cast himself as the serious and experienced candidate among the crowded field of Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for U.S. Senate. … A man in a duck suit stood outside the event with a sign directing folks to a Ted Cruz campaign web site. The site features a cheeky ad that mocks Dewhurst for 'ducking' candidate forums." — Dewhurst: No time for rookies, Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Rick Perry's campaign team has released a video in anticipation of President Obama's scheduled visits to Dallas and Mesquite today. The video mocks the president's 2009 stimulus plan before highlighting Perry's 'four core principles' for creating jobs." — Video: Perry "Welcomes" Obama to Texas

• "The FBI has released the 2010 edition of Crime in the United States, a collaborative effort involving more than 18,000 city, county and state agencies. Use our interactive to compare Texas to other states in categories such as violent crime, murder, rape and burglary, and use our sortable tables to compare crime statistics in cities across Texas." — Interactive: Texas and the FBI's 2010 Crime Statistics