Sheriff Joe endorsed Rick Perry and is heading his AZ campaign.
They are both very active on the border security front. He doesn’t have to one up Sheriff Joe...I’d call that a red herring, or a straw man, if you will.
In terms of the others you mentioned, they lack the executive position that Governor Perry has and in a state with such a long, difficult border with Mexico. He is hands on with the border security issue.
That isn’t the others’ fault, it’s just a fact of life that makes it difficult to compare them.
You're talking as if Perry is a close second to Romney in the polls.
Being soft on illegals already in the United States is just one problem Perry has. The other is that he's number 5 (or second to last) in the GOP polls and unlikely he's going to win. The only thing Perry is doing at this point is helping Romney secure the nomination.
Romney 30%
Gingrich 23%
Santorum 19%
Paul 9%
Perry 5%