Your Morning Brief for June 4, 2015.

Win McNamee, Getty Images
Win McNamee, Getty Images
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Rick Perry Launches Second Presidential Bid

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry will officially launch his second Presidential bid today near Dallas. We all remember what happened in his first run for the White House and the bitter taste of that campaign is something that has stuck with Perry.

Perry enters the race as an underdog. Very few people think that Perry has a real shot of winning the nomination, but no one wants to count him out. Perry's resume and connection with voters is something that will help Perry and make him a serious candidate.

On Wednesday, CNN had a story about Perry's wife, Anita, and the role she will play in the race. According to the story from CNN, both Anita and Rick will hit the campaign trail as they already have been in Iowa.

"I think he honestly felt that I let myself down, I let my supporters down, I may have let my family down," said Lt. Gen. Joe Weber, one of Rick's longtime friends and the executive director for the Texas Department of Transportation. This time, "he may not win, but he's not going to quit."

Rick has been campaigning heavily in the Hawkeye State, where he will need to turn out a strong showing in the caucuses if his campaign hopes to gain any traction.

Anita said she will be hitting the trail, too, mingling with voters and popping by the Machine Shed restaurant, an Iowa staple. She is not as comfortable on the stump as her husband, but advisers said she likes to be involved in strategy and polling briefings. When she's not on the trail, Rick frequently calls her after events to let her know how things went and to check on the dogs.

Beyond Iowa, Anita is hoping the same format that finished Perry off in 2012 will offer him a chance at redemption.

"The debates can totally change the whole perception," Anita said.

Perry's first goal? Rise in the polls. The first debate later this Summer on FOX News will allow only the top 10 Republican candidates in the debate. Rick Perry must get into that debate if he wants a shot at winning the nomination. Depending on the poll you look at, Perry is either in 8th, 9th, 10th, or worse right now.

Perry will campaign well and debate better than he did in his first debate. Don't count Rick Perry out just yet. His campaign must be close to perfect this time and if it is, the top-tier candidates will have to worry.

Ted Cruz Super PAC Brings in the Money and Donors

According to CNN, super PACs that are supporting Senator Ted Cruz in 2016 have raised more than $37 million dollars. What's more impressive is that three of the top ten conservative donors from 2012 are donating large sums of cash to Cruz.

Florida businessman John W. Childs and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair have committed to support Cruz, according to a leader of the super PAC. Together, the pair committed about $7.5 million to conservative outside groups in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Major Republican donor Robert Mercer, whose family foundation's accountant serves as the treasurer for one of the the Texas senator's super PACs, is also expected to have donated substantially to the groups. Together, this trifecta of donors could give lift to a fundraising operation once predicted to lag significantly behind its competitors.

CNN claims that the money haul for Cruz is impressive given that he is a polarizing figure. It tells me that many Republicans like what Ted Cruz is having to say. The largest backer of Cruz is a Texas family who will be announced at some point in the future, but one other large backer has ties to Lubbock.

Toby Neugebauer, a Houston investor and the son of a Texas congressman, has committed $10 million to the super PACs, but is not the largest donor, the source said. The single biggest backer is instead one Texas family that will formally be announced soon, but is not yet willing to identify itself.

The leader of the super PACs confirmed they formed four different groups in order to grant individual contributors maximum control of their donation, an arrangement that election lawyers have considered fairly unusual.

Interesting.

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These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard on our KFYO YouTube page after the show and online at kfyo.com.

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