Why Rick Perry Is More Likely To End Up In Prison Than Be Elected President

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his 2016 presidential candidacy today as he is currently facing 109 years in prison for abusing his power as governor. Perry is more likely to end up in prison than be elected president.

Rick Perry’s campaign announcement was straight out of 2012, with the exception of Perry stealing Elizabeth Warren’s line about the game being rigged. Perry said, “Capitalism is not about the gains of Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.” Perry followed this statement up by calling for the immediate repeal of Dodd-Frank and the rollback of regulations.

Perry also promised to approve the Keystone pipeline and launch an energy war against Putin and Russia by exporting U.S. natural gas to Europe. Everything Perry said during his announcement was fantasy because Rick Perry is never going to win the Republican nomination. His oops moment during the 2012 Republican debate defined him. Former Gov. Perry can put on his smart boy glasses and try to look the part, but he will never win because he is a buffoon in the eyes of most voters. Rick Perry is currently polling at 2%, and he is clinging on to the final spot in the first Republican debate in tenth place in the current Real Clear Politics average of polls.

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In fact, it is more likely that Perry ends up in prison than ever gets elected president. Rick Perry has been indicted on two felony charges of abuse of official capacity and coercion of public servant. The charges carry a maximum of 109 years in prison and involve Perry abusing his executive power as governor to try to force a district attorney to resign.

Republican judges in Texas have twice denied Perry’s attempts to have the charges dismissed. Perry has called the indictment frivolous and partisan, but the legal system has not agreed with his characterization. Perry has about a one in twenty shot of winning the Republican nomination, but if his case goes to trial, he has a 50/50 chance of being sent to prison.

Gov. Perry’s odds of ending up in prison are better than his odds of winning the Republican nomination. In a 2016 Republican field that is a total circus, Rick Perry has added a criminal element to round out the GOP race.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association