Perry addresses Texas delegates at Republican National Convention

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Mitt Romney's speech Thursday night was well received by delegates at the Republican National Convention.

We talked to Texas delegates who were eager to get back home and get out the votes for Romney. Among them was Gov. Rick Perry, for whom this week could have been so much different.

"I've been thinking about Florida a lot lately," Perry said.

Speaking to the Texas delegation Thursday morning, Perry admitted this was an awkward convention for him.

"If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans. Well my plan was to be speaking tonight at the convention," he said.

For months, Perry campaigned for the spot Romney won. But in an interview with us this week, he said he's fine with the way it ended.

"I haven't really left the fight. I am not the quarterback, but I am still on the team," Perry said.

He's campaigned for Romney and will again but won't yet rule out a presidential run in 2016, when Romney could be running for re-election.

"2016 is three lifetimes away in my business. We got a legislative session coming up," Perry said.

And after, that a potential gubernatorial re-election race in 2014. Perry's already the longest serving governor in Texas and there are signs people in his own party may put pressure on him to leave.

"'14 will take care of itself," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said.

Abbott has banked $14.5 million in campaign cash -- nearly five times what Perry has -- and is rumored to want to be governor.

In the middle of this Romney-Obama battle, Texas delegates are keeping an eye on a potential Abbott campaign.

"I would vote for him, yeah, if he ran," Texas delegation member Tammy Strum said.

"Over Rick Perry?" we asked.

"Oh, I like both of them," she said.

All Abbott will say is he will be on the ballot in 2014.

"He does aspire to the governor of the state of Texas some day, but there are a lot of people who aspire to be the governor of the state of Texas. That day will come for him," Perry said.

Both Abbott and Perry spoke to the Texas delegation this week and both were well received. Any thought that Perry's support for David Dewhurst in the recent Senate primary may have hurt him didn't appear to be present. He received several standing ovations during his address.

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Record Rodeo crowd turns out for Band Perry

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Last night was another successful night for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

They brought in big numbers with headliner, The Band Perry. The band was making their RodeoHouston debut at Reliant to the second largest paid attendance in Rodeo history. Approximately 74,241 people attended last night's performance. Last Sunday's Go Tejano Day holds the title.

And there could be another huge crowd on hand tonight when Jason Aldean retakes the stage. This will be his third year in a row performing at the Rodeo.

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ABC News GOP poll puts Perry in 4th place

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's your voice, your vote, and with just under a month until the Iowa caucus, another poll places GOP candidate Newt Gingrich as the clear front-runner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But Gov. Rick Perry isn't giving up.

Perry was actually here in Houston Tuesday afternoon. He had lunch at The Houstonian with a few hundred friends -- or at least donors. They dined with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal during one of two Texas fundraisers Jindal and Perry held today.

Perry's presidential campaign needs the money. They are spending heavily in Iowa. IowaPolitics.com says Perry's campaign bought hundreds more ads than any other candidate.

The latest ABC News Washington Post poll shows he's come up only slightly. Newt Gingrich is on top in the poll released this morning. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are tied for second. Perry is next at 11 percent.

But one story in Iowa continues to be just how many voters are thinking about changing their minds. Less a month from the Iowa caucuses, 52 percent of voters are still considering another choice.

Meanwhile, the Pew Center for People and the Press asked Americans if this GOP nominating contest was helping or hurting impressions of the Republican field. Republicans said it was helping, Democrats hurting.

But independents -- who are key to winning a general election -- told Pew researchers this contest was making their impression of the GOP worse by a 3-to-1 margin.

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Group files lawsuit to stop Perry prayer day here

  AUSTIN, TX -- The Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Texas governor's day of prayer and fasting.

The organization which is made up of atheists and agnostics argues that Gov. Rick Perry is violating the constitutional ban on the government establishing a religion. Perry has invited the Obama administration, the nation's governors and Texas lawmakers to attend the prayer meeting in Houston on Aug. 6. The event is being sponsored by evangelical Christian groups and is explicitly a Christian event. The foundation said Perry should not have organized the event as governor. The suit was filed Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Houston. A spokesman for the event, called The Response, said he needed to consult an attorney before commenting. The governor's office had no immediate comment. (Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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HISD to lose millions if Gov. Perry approves budget

  Demond FernandezHOUSTON (KTRK) -- Under the proposed budget approved Saturday by the Texas Legislature, the Houston Independent School District would lose out on nearly $200 million over the next two years.

The district has been making cuts to deal with the lack of funding, but administrators, parents and teachers are speaking out about this budget decision.

They all say that school districts like HISD are in some serious trouble.

"I think that it's a lot of politics and the kids are suffering," parent Taryn Phillips said.

HISD could stand to lose more than $78 million dollars in state funding next school year, and the estimates hit the district even harder in 2013 with $126 million in cuts approved by the Senate and House.

"Of course our economy needs a lot of help right now, but still you got to think about the children, and think about, 'Is it worth cutting back on that or other things?'" parent Julia Smith said.

After learning about its budget reduction estimates from the state, HISD released a statement.

"Schools in Houston and elsewhere will still suffer significantly in years to come," the statement read.

"The substantial reduction in state funding will undoubtedly have an impact in our students' education," it continued.

Gayle Fallon with the Houston Federation of Teachers agrees.

"Parents are not going to like what school looks like next year because they're going to have kids coming back to very large classes," Fallon said.

Fallon predicts the state's budget estimates may lead to unsafe and understaffed schools.

She says one of the only solutions could be an unpopular one if the school board lessens the burden by raising taxes.

"As a taxpayer in Houston, I'm not thrilled with a tax increase, but I'd rather pay the money now than pay it into the criminal justice system when we turn out an illiterate generation that can't get a job," Fallon said.

Parents, HISD administrators and the teachers union all say they will be waiting and watching to see what lawmakers ultimately decide.

The district has already laid off employees, cut programs and closed schools to make up part of the expected budget gap, but trustees believe their only option could be a roughly 4 cent tax rate hike.

The district's current tax rate is 1-15 per $100 valuation.

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