Elections

A tale of the tape: How two Texas hopefuls stack up

By Maria Recio - McClatchy Washington Bureau

February 27, 2015 4:09 PM

Sen. Ted Cruz R-TX (left) and former Texas Governor Rick Perry (right) Fort Worth Star-Telegram

At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference two presidential hopefuls from Texas spoke. Senator Ted Cruz took the stage Thursday afternoon and former Governor Rick Perry spoke Friday morning.

Here's a quick rundown of key stats for both the Texans:

Applause level

Applause breaks

Empty seats

Best quote

The shoes

Eyewear

Age

Hometown

Currently

Last election won

Margin

Ted Cruz

90 decibels

32 in 12 minutes with a standing ovation at the beginning and end

A few rows in the back

"How do we bring back the miracle that is America? We reassemble the Reagan coalition."

Black ostrich cowboy boots

Contacts

Born: Calgary, Canada; Grew up: Houston, TX

U.S. Senator, elected 2012

2012: U.S. Senator, his first election

13.6 percentage points

Rick Perry

83 decibels

22 times in 12 minutes with a standing ovation at the beginning

A few rows in the back; more emptied out during the Q&A portion

"ISIS represents the worst threat to freedom since communism."

Black loafers

Jean Lafont designer retro glasses

Paint Creek, TX

retired Texas governor as of January 2014, exploring presidential run

2010: Re-elected as Texas Governor

12.7 percentage points

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 4:09 PM with the headline "A tale of the tape: How two Texas hopefuls stack up."