Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he will consider running for president after the Texas Legislature adjourns, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Perry made the announcement while speaking at a ceremonial signing event for legislation that will require Texas voters to present photo identification at polling places.
But longtime Perry political adviser Dave Carney said that "nothing has changed" and that Perry's statements are "nothing new."
Carney also went on to say that with so many big name conservatives talking about Perry, including Rush Limbaugh, it's human nature to flirt with the idea of running.
Carney told NBC DFW political reporter Omar Villafranca that Perry has a planned lunch with possible GOP presidential candidate and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.
But Carney was adamant that Perry is not running for president.
The conservative governor has been the subject of speculation as some Republicans lamented the slate of GOP candidates planning to challenge President Barack Obama. Perry had said repeatedly in response he was focused on the state's legislative session. Asked once again on Friday if he'd consider a run, Perry said: "I'm going to think about it."
According to a recent report in the Texas Tribune, only 4 percent of Texas Republicans said they'd vote for the governor in a presidential race.
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Radio host Rush Limbaugh devoted 20 minutes to extolling Perry's virtues as a Republican presidential candidate Wednesday of last week. The Washington Times also wrote about Perry's potential as a candidate. That same week, Gawker.com published a report that a push for Perry to run for the White House was gaining steam.
Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history, won his third term in November 2010, defeating U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. He has long said he wasn't interested in the presidency.
Perry has been a vocal critic of Obama and "Washington politics" in general, specifically in regards to immigration policy, the president's health care plan and government spending.
NBC DFW's Omar Villafranca contributed to this report.
