Forbes magazine editor Steve Forbes says he “very impressed” with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and is leaning toward endorsing him for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
“Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, is now the front-runner. He’s had a good record even though liberals are now trying to trash it, along with perhaps some of his GOP opponents,” Forbes, a two-time presidential candidate, tells Newsmax.
“He did some very good things in reforming their personal injury liability system, very very positive reforms. He encouraged energy production instead of states like California that discourage it, and refused to put in a state income tax. So in the great scheme of things that’s a pretty solid record to run on. So he is the front-runner.”
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Asked who Forbes is likely to endorse, he says: “I’m looking over the whole field now. I’m very impressed with Governor Perry, so that’s where the wind’s blowing in my little world. I’ll be making a decision soon.
“Maybe one or two other candidates might come in during the next couple of weeks, but I’ve certainly been impressed by what Governor Perry did. Perhaps he gets over-exuberant in what he says about the Federal Reserve, but he is right. The Fed has a lot to answer for.”
As for Mitt Romney, who is currently Perry’s chief rival for the GOP nomination, Forbes says he has a “huge albatross,” called Romneycare, which is “eventually going to torpedo his candidacy.”
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