Texas Gov. Rick Perry was not widely known outside his home state until word began to spread that he was considering a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Then, suddenly, a lot of people began talking about him and reading up on his longtime, and evidently successful, leadership of Texas.
Even before he officially entered the race, opinion polls indicated a great deal of interest in his candidacy. That interest grew massively once Perry threw his hat in the ring, alongside candidates such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.
In a matter of days, Perry surpassed the other Republican hopefuls in multiple opinion polls.
But a big question lingers: If he wins the nomination, can he defeat President Barack Obama in the general election?
It is far too early to guess. It surely would be putting the cart before the horse to predict just how he might fare against the incumbent. He has to win the nomination first, after all, and the caucuses and primaries that will pick the nominee are still months away.
Nevertheless, one sign of Perry's potential strength came in a recent Rasmussen poll. Only weeks after entering the GOP contest, he not only passed the other GOP candidates, but he matched up well against the president. The Rasmussen survey of likely voters found 44 percent support for Perry versus 41 percent support for Obama. It was the first time that Perry had led the president, and he did better than any other GOP candidate in hypothetical match-ups against Obama.
All of this ultimately may not mean much. A lot can happen in a presidential race to propel a candidate forward - or to dash his dreams. Still, it is amazing how far Perry has risen in so short a time.
Our country desperately needs new leadership. Is Perry the man to provide it? Although it's still early in the campaign, quite a few Americans seem to think so.