Sources: Perry To Announce Bid This Weekend

Sources close to Texas Governor Rick Perry say the conservative darling will make his 2012 intentions clear during an appearance in South Carolina this Saturday.

It has been rumored for months now that Perry, 61, has been considering jumping into the race for next year’s GOP nomination. Now, just days before the closely-watched Iowa Straw Poll, it looks as though the two-and-a-half-term Governor has made up his mind.

On Saturday, Perry will attend a gathering of conservative activists in Charleston, where it is expected that he’ll announce his plans to run. The move is sure to put Perry in the headlines on Sunday, a day when the rest of the GOP field hopes to have made news through strong performances in both the Straw Poll and debate that will be held in Ames on Thursday.