“People are looking at Michele Bachmann, and saying: ‘I agree with her, but this woman kind of scares me,'” said another Texas Republican who has worked against the governor. “Those people are Rick Perry voters.”

Those who have watched his campaigns do not doubt his ability to turn his theoretical support on paper into results in the diners and community centers of primary states. Supporters and detractors alike describe Perry as disciplined, driven (some say ‘ruthless’), instinctive, and naturally energized by the parade of handshakes and bull@!$%# sessions that make up a campaign…

“He enjoys the engagement,” Carney said of the governor’s campaign style. “He enjoys the battle.”…

“This guy is Paul Ryan on crack,” says Stanford. “Everything Paul Ryan wants to do on a national scale, Perry has already done here.”