English: James Richard "Rick" Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American Republican politician who served as the 47th Governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. A Republican, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry is the longest serving governor in Texas state history. As a result, he is the only governor in modern Texas history to have appointed at least one person to every eligible state office, board, or commission position (as well as to several elected offices to which the governor can appoint someone to fill an unexpired term, such as six of the nine current members of the Texas Supreme Court).

Perry was elected to full gubernatorial terms in 2002, 2006 and 2010 and is the fourth Texas governor (after Allan Shivers, Price Daniel, and John Connally) to serve three terms. With a tenure in office to date of 14 years, 140 days, Perry was, at the time he left office, the second longest serving current U.S. governor – after Terry Branstad of Iowa. Perry served as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008 (succeeding Sonny Perdue of Georgia) and again in 2011.

Perry won the Texas 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary election, defeating U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County Republican Party Chairwoman and businesswoman Debra Medina. IIn the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election, Perry won a third term by defeating former Houston mayor Bill White and Kathie Glass.

On August 13, 2011, Perry announced in South Carolina that he was running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. Perry suspended his campaign in January 2012 and eventually endorsed Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

On July 8, 2013, Perry announced that he would not seek re-election to his fourth term in the 2014 election, planning to retire instead.[6] Unnamed sources said to be close to Perry told the National Review that Perry may focus on another White House bid for 2016.

On August 15, 2014, Perry was indicted by a grand jury on felony charges for abuse of power. He was accused of coercing a Democratic District Attorney who had been convicted of drunk driving to resign by threatening to veto funding for state public corruption prosecutors. The indictment received some support and also wide criticism from all sides of the political spectrum, and editorial criticism from major US newspapers.

Welcome to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference

May 21-23 promises to be a rendezvous with destiny in Oklahoma City. The unofficial start of the 2016 Republican Presidential campaign begins here, in the new energy capital of America!

The 2016 election will be one of the most important in our lifetime. The choices we make in the next two years will define America for the next 50 years.

On behalf of the Oklahoma Republican Party and the entire SRLC Committee, please join us as we begin our shared Republican journey towards capturing the White House and renewing our nation.

It is our distinct privilege to invite you to attend the 2015 Southern Republican Leadership Conference, to be held at the Cox Convention Center and Downtown Oklahoma City Renaissance Convention Center Hotel on May 21-23, 2015. We hope you will join us!

The SRLC has a star-studded history as one of the premier conferences for all Republicans and conservative activists. This year we anticipate 50 speakers, break-out sessions with energy, utility and manufacturing opinion leaders, and 75 partnering organizations. In addition, we are hosting the largest regional presidential straw poll of the year.

We look forward to your participation in this historic conference as we energize the Grand Old Party and America together!

SRLC 2015 Committee