Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) pressed Texas Governor Rick Perry on his support for Al Gore's 1988 presidential campaign during Tuesday night's GOP primary debate.
Perry served as Texas campaign chairman for Gore during the then-candidate's run for the White House. Rep. Ron Paul hammered the Lone Star State governor over the connection in a harsh campaign ad released last month.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted over the summer that Perry began his political career as a rising Democratic star in Texas.
A raging liberal he was not. Elected to represent a slice of rural West Texas in the state House of Representatives in 1984, Perry, a young rancher and cotton farmer, gained an early reputation as a fiscal conservative. He was one of a few freshman "pit bulls," so named because they sat in the lower pit of the House Appropriations Committee, where they fought to keep spending low.
But Perry cast some votes and took a few stands that seem to be at odds with his current conservative stances.
During the debate, Perry asserted that he turned to the Republican party at a younger age than Ronald Reagan. The non-partisan Politifact rated the claim "true" after the Texas governor made similar remarks in August.
Bachmann's attempt to target Perry over his past ties to Gore; however, comes with an ironic twist. The conservative congresswoman was once aligned with the Democratic party herself and worked on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign.
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