After Gov. Rick Perry came in a dismal fifth place in the Iowa caucuses, he said he was going home to Texas to reassess his chances. In this excerpt from Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail, I describe the scene at Perry’s hotel.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
Posted inState Government
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Before “oops moment” entered the political lexicon, Rick Perry was already becoming known for gaffes. Now it’s clear the former presidential contender’s health problems — including previously undiagnosed sleep apnea and pain from back surgery — were major contributing factors.
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Gov. Rick Perry kicked off The Texas Tribune Festival at tonight’s opening session, an interview with Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith.
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Top Lawmaker Advertises Services at the Capitol
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Some Lessons Learned From GOP Convention
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