Rick Perry recruits donors for likely White House bid

Former Texas governor Rick Perry is weighing a White House bid. (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

Nearly 90 Republican fundraisers formally signed up to support former Texas governor Rick Perry on Thursday – the latest sign that the Republican is preparing for a second presidential bid.

Perry, whose 2012 campaign fizzled out after a major debate stumble, is eager to demonstrate that he can attract some of the top names in Republican fundraising.

The supporters who make up the Rick PAC Advisory Board include many wealthy Texans who have backed Perry’s political ambitions during his record 14 years running the Lone Star state. Red McCombs, the billionaire co-founder of Clear Channel, billionaire energy executive Kelcy Warren and Drayton McLane, a former Houston Astros owner, are among the donors joining in.

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Prominent figures from the sports world in Perry’s camp include San Antonio Spurs Chairman and CEO Peter Holt; the team’s part owner, Charlie Amato, a financial executive; and Jamie McCourt, the former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The list also includes major Republican fundraisers with national reach, such as cosmetics firm chief Georgette Mosbacher and August Busch of the family behind brewing giant, Anheuser-Busch. Perry’s plans to announce an advisory board first were reported by The Washington Post.

“I am grateful and humbled to have the support of so many champions of conservative principles,” Perry said in a news release announcing the new board members. He said he would work with them to promote  “policies that create opportunity for American families by allowing job creators to risk their capital and get a return on their investment, including low taxes and a smart and predictable regulatory environment.”

While major candidates have yet to formally declare their 2016 candidacies, the likely Republican contenders are waging an intense, behind-the-scenes battle to lock up donors, fundraisers and key strategists for what could be the most wide-open Republican nomination fight in recent history.

Rick PAC is Perry’s leadership PAC, which cannot raise more than $5,000 from an individual each year. The people on the advisory committee likely will form the backbone of the campaign’s finance team should Perry decide to run.