The clock is ticking for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Fifteen days ago in Addison, Texas, Perry stood in an airplane hangar surrounded by U.S. Navy SEALs and announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. But Perry has not yet filed a Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.
If Perry or his campaign fails to do so Friday, an FEC spokesperson told the Washington Examiner, a formal complaint process that could result in penalties to his campaign could be lodged with the FEC by a concerned party.
Under existing law, Perry must file within 15 days of becoming a presidential candidate, which is defined by the contributions received and expenditures made by an individual seeking higher office, or those designated by the individual. If Perry received more than $5,000 in campaign contributions on day one, his failure to file would violate FEC rules.
In addition to the penalties Perry could ultimately face, any violation could hamper public perception of his campaign and prevent him from taking the debate stage later this summer. Perry suffered on the debate stage in 2011 when he struggled to list the federal agencies he wanted to eliminate, and memorably said, “Oops.” But if Perry does not file a Statement of Candidacy with the FEC, he will not meet the requirements for the first two nationally televised debates sponsored by Fox News and CNN.
His campaign did not respond to request for comment, but the failure to file seems especially odd given his campaign staffers’ expertise. The chief counsel of Perry’s presidential campaign, Don McGhan, served on the FEC until the fall of 2013.
But Perry has much larger legal matters to worry about. He faces criminal charges from an indictment that he abused his power as governor when he tried to force an official to step down.
RickPAC, a political action committee that supports the governor, has leveraged the potential felonies as an opportunity to sell merchandise that prominently features Perry’s mug shot, and Perry seems to have gotten in on the act, too. The Texan blares a Perry-themed country rap song on the campaign trail, performed by Colt Ford, that uses the hook line “I answer to no one.”
Update 11:50 a.m.: The FEC has received Perry’s statement of candidacy.
