He's not my first, second or third choice but Perry looks have a pretty economic track record:
http://www.discoverynews.org/2011/06/texas_strong_economy_boosts_pe047001.php
The economies of Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas grew faster than the rest of the country in April, accounting together for 82,000 net new jobs. The numbers suggest that Texas will continue to lead the rest of the country when May employment numbers come out for metro areas. In April, the Texas gains amounted to about 45 percent of the (revised) national gain of 177,000 jobs.
Meanwhile, announced today, the whole net employment gain nationally for May was only 38,000. The stock market, banks and economists are getting worried.
Texas has been hit by the national downturn, but has bounced back better. Most of its economic indicators are positive. Oil and gas have much to do with it, of course, but so do state fiscal policies under Governor Rick Perry that contain spending and regulation and hold down taxes.
Like I said before...Texas is full of reasonable, strong, clear-thinking individuals who keep this state humming and going in the right direction. And who continually have to slap Perry up side the head and steering him in that direction.
I will of course throw a vote for Perry if he is the last candidate standing. But I would prefer to have a really strong conservative candidate who will push and LEAD to slash and burn Washington DC, instead of joining establishment republicans who helped get us here.