The latest Gallup Poll shows Gov. Rick Perry as the top candidate with tea Party voters, but some Texas tea party activists aren't drinking the "Perry for President" Kool-Aid.
"It is very frustrating when you hear that there is a tea party candidate out there which has zero tea party endorsements," said Katrina Pierson, a key organizer for the Dallas Tea Party and the head of the Garland Tea Party.
Pierson said that while Perry pushes a "pro-business" message on the campaign trail, she doesn't like many of the policies used to promote new Texas businesses, including the Emerging Technology Fund.
The ETF awards grants to businesses, but reports claim some of the awards were given to businesses linked to Perry campaign donors.
"We don't agree with corporate welfare," Pierson said. "We don't agree with subsidizing businesses."
Pierson said tea party groups in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- key primary states -- are starting to ask tea party groups in Texas about Perry's record.
"They do reach out to us, especially when our governor finally announced," Pierson said. "The first people they go to are the active tea party members in the state of Texas. They ask, 'Is he for real?' And it just depends on what you're asking. Did Gov. Perry create jobs? Well, technically, no, because the governor does not create jobs in this state. We have a fairly conservative state with a fairly conservative Legislature, and therefore, our environment is pro-business."
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Pierson, a tea party veteran of several campaign cycles, said there is talk about traveling to meet with other tea party groups to "give facts" about Perry's record as governor.
"What people need to ask themselves is, are they truly serious about saving our country, or are they just wanting their guy?" Pierson said.
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