Perry Draws Reliant Rally Crowd

While Texas Gov. Rick Perry hasn’t officially announced a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, he recently got a pretty big podium to preach to his evangelical base during a prayer rally at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

As host of The Response, which reportedly drew nearly 30,000 to the venue for a day of prayer, fasting and repentance, Perry asked the audience to pray for the nation’s leaders and its president.

“We see discord at home,” he said. “We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government. And as a nation we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us, and for that we cry out for your forgiveness.”

The Response, financed by the American Family Association, was free to those who registered for tickets, but parking was $15. The rally was also reportedly broadcast live in more than 1,000 churches around the country.