Try again? Perry in Iowa one more time

DES MOINES, Iowa — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is visiting Iowa for the fourth time in eight months, hoping for a second chance to win over Republican voters who delivered him a stinging caucus loss when he ran for president two years ago.

Perry, 64, hasn’t said if he plans to run again in 2016. But he’s clearly considering it, and is meeting Saturday and Sunday with veterans and conservative activists in the northern Iowa communities of Algona and Clear Lake.

“Our nominee normally has done this more than once. I think this goes back to that issue of experience. Experience matters and by and large it helps,” Perry said Saturday evening, during a break from greeting the more than 200 people gathered for a dinner at Algona High School. “America is all about giving second chances,” he added.

Perry has been raising funds for GOP candidates and seeking advice from political insiders since November. He is signaling that he’s committed to the grassroots politicking that Iowa’s Republican faithful expect and that many felt he didn’t prioritize when he ran two years ago.

Whether Iowa voters give Perry a second chance remains to be seen. GOP activist Julie Clark of Estherville said she thought Perry — a relatively late entry into the 2012 race — could make a comeback in the state whose caucus kicks off the presidential primary season. Clark helped organize the Algona event.

“He’s a successful governor and a lot of people here liked him when he was running. We’re pretty conservative,” Clark said of voters in northern Iowa. “We would have supported him to the end.”

Perry became Texas’ governor in 2000 when then-Gov. George W. Bush became president. He has been elected to full four-year terms three times — becoming the longest-serving governor in Texas history.