Rick Perry makes pitch to black voters

Presidential hopeful Rick Perry on Thursday urged the Republican Party to do more to court black voters in the 2016 elections.

“When we gave up on trying to win the support of African-Americans, we lost our moral legitimacy as the party of Lincoln, as the party of equal opportunity for all,” the former Texas governor said.

{mosads}”I’m here to tell you that it’s Republicans, not Democrats, who are truly offering black Americans the hope for a better life for themselves and their children,” he added. 

Citing improved educational and economic opportunities during his tenure in Texas, Perry said he would boost the economy as president by reforming the tax code and forcing federal agencies to hold to a strict regulatory budget.

He vowed to push welfare reform and called for splitting money spent on anti-poverty programs into a reformed Earned Income Tax Credit and a block grant for states to administer their own safety nets.

Perry also made a pitch for reforming federal drug-related sentencing policies affecting black Americans and tackling the “exorbitant” price of college and the high cost of living. 

Federal programs like ObamaCare and the administration’s order this week expanding pay will cause companies to shed workers while increasing the prices of goods and services, Perry said. 

The U.S. needs “new leadership and durable reforms” to provide economic empowerment, he said.

His remarks at the National Press Club come as Republicans hope to shore up support among minority groups following a bitter defeat to President Obama in 2012. 

Other Republican presidential candidates, such as Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), have sought to expand the party’s appeal in recent years among minority communities.

Perry encountered a race-related controversy during his first run for the White House in 2012, after it was reported that his family hunting lodge once went by the name “N—–head,” with the slur painted on a rock on the grounds.  

Supporters of Perry said he was being smeared and noted that the governor had the rock painted over.

“I’m happy to live in a country with an African-American president,” Perry said Thursday while also noting that black poverty has increased during Obama’s tenure.

“Why is it today that so many black families feel left behind?” Perry said, referring to black Americans traditionally voting for Democrats.

“It is time for black families to hold them accountable for the results,” he said.