Farouk Shami Endorses Governor Rick Perry October 18, 2010

Former Texas gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami has endorsed Governor Rick Perry for re-election.

Shami is the founder and chairman of Farouk Systems, a company that manufactures Biosilk and CHI hair products. He spent millions of dollars on his campaign before losing the Democratic Party primary to Bill White.

A few weeks ago Shami invited both Perry and White to speak at a forum for Arab-American community leaders.

 ““Gov. Perry has not only been true to the values that matter most to the people of Texas, he is also a conservative leader that has led our state in job creation and renewable energy,” said Farouk Shami. “As a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, I believe jobs and the future for Texans is beyond partisanship. I am proud to endorse Gov. Perry for the general election. His proven track record of helping businesses grow and invest for a cleaner and stronger tomorrow is the reason why he is the best choice for Texas governor.”

“It is an honor to receive Farouk Shami’s endorsement of my re-election,” said Gov. Perry. “His entrepreneurship and dedication to Texas jobs and the environment is a profound example of what our state needs to continue leading the nation. Bringing 1,200 jobs back to our country and Texas shows a vote of confidence in the Texas economy and the work ethic of Texans. I look forward to working with Farouk so we can keep Texas the envy of the nation and continue creating jobs so that every Texan who wants one has one.”

New Ad Targets Governor Perry – Calls Him A “Coward” August 23, 2010

People across Texas are waking up on Tuesday morning and opening their newspapers to a tough new ad that targets Governor Rick Perry.

The ad, which runs in 24 Texas newspapers,  calls Perry a “coward”  for refusing to debate democrat challenger Bill White and for refusing to meet with editorial boards across the state.

In addition to the 24 full-page ads, Back to Basics also launched  www.PerryIsACoward.com today to highlight what it calls,  “the miserable record from which Perry continues to hide.”

“Until Governor Perry agrees to a debate and sit down with editorial boards to defend his miserable record, we are going to call him what he is – a coward.  Texans don’t appreciate cowards or career politicians who only work part-time and then try to hide their miserable record. We encourage voters to get the facts for themselves at www.PerryIsACoward.com,” said a spokesperson for Back To Basics.

I don’t know if the ad will make one bit of difference inside the governor’s campaign headquarters.

While in Houston last week,  Governor Perry stood his ground when I asked him if  he planned to debate White before election day.

Perry is still challenging White to release more of  his income tax returns, covering the time period when White was deputy U.S. Energy Secretary and Chairman of  the Texas Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, White’s campaign says the  candidate’s financial records are an open book. 

White, who has released his income tax returns covering the six years he was Mayor of  Houston, says he does not plan to release any more documents. 

Both Perry and White plan to campaign in Houston on Tuesday.  We’ll try to get their reaction to the new ad, which is being funded, I’m told, by a Houston attorney.