James Dobson in Ad: Rick Perry Is a 'Deeply Committed Christian'
Former Focus on the Family head James Dobson and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh can be heard praising Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry in a new radio ad from the pro-Perry super PAC “Make Us Great Again” airing in South Carolina.
In the ad, Dobson calls the Texas governor a “deeply committed Christian” and a courageous leader. Limbaugh says, “Rick Perry is a strong fiscal conservative,” according to Politico.
The South Carolina ad, showing Perry as both a conservative and a committed Christian, comes days after the Perry campaign began airing a radio ad in Iowa and New Hampshire. The South Carolina primary is set for Jan. 21.
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The super PAC, which says its mission is to support Perry for the Republican nomination and to oppose Barack Obama’s re-election in November 2012, increased its ad buy in South Carolina beginning Sunday as it launched a week-long television and radio advertising run worth about $275,000, according to ABC News.
The ad shows Perry as “pro-life, pro-family, pro-traditional marriage… Always has been, always will be.” It says he is the “proven conservative who balanced every budget, cut taxes and cut fifteen billion in spending – creating 1 million new jobs,” reads the ad script, according to Politico Playbook. “Rick Perry not only talks like a conservative but governs as a conservative – and that’s exactly what America needs right now Rick Perry for President.”
Texas is one of the few states in the nation that is home to more jobs than before the recession, says the super PAC on its website. “Perry has spurred job growth in Texas by lowering taxes, reducing regulations and encouraging innovation. In doing so, Texas has added more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation.”
The praises by Dobson and Limbaugh come at a time when four-term Governor Rick Perry’s support among GOP primary voters appears to be dwindling.
According to a re-contact of Republicans surveyed in this month’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Perry was the choice of only 4 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had the support of 32 percent, followed by former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain with 27 percent despite the recent allegations of sexual harassment, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 22 percent, according to the poll results released Sunday.
“If this was not a good week for Herman Cain, it was an absolutely horrendous week for Rick Perry,” said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, according to MSNBC.
Dobson has shown support for Perry ever since he announced his run for the White House in August. At the time, Perry was compared with Ronald Reagan as he is a big-state governor, a conservative and a Christian.
The Texas governor has sought to connect with evangelical voters since before officially announcing his candidacy, which followed a week after his “The Response” Christian prayer revival event in Houston, Texas.
