Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Friday running for president in 2016 was "an option for me in the future," but maintained his immediate focus was on 2014 elections.
"I don't shy away from telling people that running for president is an option for me in the future, but it's not what I'm focused on. 2014 is what I'm focused on," Perry told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
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Perry first ran for president in the Republican primary in 2012. He said his immediate focus was on gaining more respect for states among lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
"I think Washington, D.C., basically thinks they are the center of all thought, and [it] doesn't look like it's working that well for the country," he said.
Perry said that Washington needed to "decentralize," in order to get the country "back on track."
Electing more Republicans in the 2014 midterm elections was critical to the nation's future, Perry said.
"We've got to elect [Republican] governors, and we have to take control of the Senate if we are going to change the course the country's on," he said.
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