After last night's steady debate performance, Governor Rick Perry made a quick stop at an evangelical mega-church outside of Des Moines today in another attempt to court Iowa’s Christian conservatives.
Speaking at two services this morning at the Point of Grace Church in Waukee, Perry spent his time trying to connect with voters by sharing his personal history, starting with his childhood in the small Texas crossroads of Paint Creek. He told the crowd his family didn’t have much money, and his mother made most of his clothes.
“I had a dog and a Shetland pony,” Perry said, “I had everything I needed.”
Despite being in a conservative evangelical church, Perry did not focus on the message from his recent and controversial “Strong” campaign ad. In it, Perry laments how “there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”
Instead the controversial message from the ad, he called on members of the church to not shy away from public discourse and to be present in the public arena of politics and schools.
Perry is a strong retail politician and has been very comfortable displaying his faith at religious events. The crowd gave him a standing ovation both before and after his short message.
