WASHINGTON — The "will he or won't he" run for president game surrounding Texas Gov. Rick Perry got some more oomph Wednesday with the announcement that he'll visit New Hampshire in October.
Perry will be the keynote speaker Oct. 28 at the annual awards dinner in Manchester of Cornerstone Action, a conservative New Hampshire conservative advocacy group.
It will mark the first time that the Granite State, home of the first-in-the-nation primary, has appeared on the Texas governor's schedule since he said last month that he was thinking about a White House bid.
"We are thrilled that Governor Perry has accepted our invitation to keynote our annual gala in October," Cornerstone Action executive director Kevin Smith said. "Governor Perry has been a model example of both fiscal and social conservative leadership for the rest of the nation."
Asked whether the New Hampshire stop was a sign that Perry was preparing to run, his spokesman, Mark Miner said, "Nothing has changed."
"This doesn't indicate any change in his thinking," Miner said. "The governor travels frequently" to talk about the Texas economic success story.
Perry has a built-in New Hampshire presence: His top political adviser is New Hampshire-based David Carney.
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