Perry is in my top tier. I think he would have a 50/50 shot to beat Zero, but I don’t think he can beat Newt. Whatever you think of him, Newt is a known quantity and cannot be redefined. Perry can.
True but once Newt's defined he'll be toast. My wife was asking the other day what all the baggage was that everyone claims Newt's got. I gave her a sanitized version and she had a very negative reaction. She'll never vote for him. She's not a news and politics junkie like I am and was only vaguely aware of Newt's marriage peccadillos. Reminded of the facts she was repelled. That will happen in spades once the media starts talking in detail about Newt's past.
Not to mention his lobbying activities.
Rick Perry's been in the spotlight for ten years as Governor, and prior to that as Lt. Gov and Attorney General. He's pretty much an open book. We won't get the kind of surprises that Cain has given us or th erepellant history that Newt has.