Michele Bachmann may have won the Ames Straw Poll, but Rick Perry got the rock star treatment at a packed fundraiser in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. And Bachmann couldn’t stand it, said one of the organizers of the event.
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.
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State Government
Critics Want Perry as President — of Confederacy
A few protesters gathered in historic Charleston to jokingly welcome Gov. Rick Perry into the race for president — of the Confederacy.
Posted inState Government
Updated: Perry Opens Campaign With Harsh Attack on Obama
Gov. Rick Perry jumped into the 2012 presidential race with a double-barrel blast at President Obama on Saturday, blaming him for the fiscal mess in Washington and promising to make job creation his signature issue.
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Video: Follow Jay Root’s S.C. Video Postcards
The Tribune’s Jay Root is filing video updates from Charleston, S.C., where he’s covering the governor’s 2012 presidential campaign announcement.
Posted inState Government
Perry’s Southern Strategy Begins in South Carolina
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Republican candidates have generally looked to South Carolina as a “firewall” to make a final stand in fending off the attacks from challengers. For Rick Perry, it may be more like a launching pad.
Posted inState Government
Perry Campaign Staff Taking Shape
With less than two days to go before Rick Perry announces he’s running for president in South Carolina, the team that will run his campaign is beginning to take shape, top Texas Republican sources say.
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State Government
On Tape, Perry Quipped Texans Are “Thinking About” Secession
Rick Perry’s infamous flirtation with secession at an April 2009 rally is sure to get renewed scrutiny in a presidential campaign — but it turns out it wasn’t the first time the governor contemplated Texas leaving the United States of America.
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State Government
Lawsuit Alleges “Margins Tax” is Unconstitutional State Income Tax
The business tax overhaul that Gov. Rick Perry and fellow GOP leaders championed in 2006 as a fix for the school finance system is now under attack in the Texas Supreme Court — as an unconstitutional state income tax.
Posted inState Government
Perry Set to “Remove Any Doubt” He’s Running
Gov. Rick Perry will make it clear he’s jumping into the presidential race during an appearance this weekend in South Carolina, Republican sources said Monday.
Posted inState Government
More Than 30,000 Pack Perry’s Prayer Rally
More than 30,000 worshipers poured into Reliant Stadium Saturday, staging a boisterous prayer meeting with gospel music and Christian rock, emotional sermons and perhaps a political boost for the man who started it all: likely presidential candidate Rick Perry, the governor of Texas.
