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.