Perry backs McConnell

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) on Saturday night endorsed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in the Senate majority leader’s reelection fight this year.

At a Lincoln, Reagan Dinner in Kentucky, Perry said the Kentucky Senate race and the entire midterm elections are “inextricably intertwined” with the future of the United States. 

{mosads}He predicted McConnell would be successful in his bid to win a sixth term in the Senate.  

“I love the number six,” Perry said, according to the Associated Press. “Sam Houston was 6 foot 6 inches tall. And Mitch McConnell is going to be in his sixth term as United States senator.”

Perry, who ran for president in 2012, is considered a potential contender for the GOP nomination in 2016, along with the junior senator from Kentucky Rand Paul, who shares a close relationship with McConnell. 

During McConnell’s remarks, the minority leader called Paul “an incredible and electable candidate for president of the United States.”

Perry’s endorsement comes as McConnell faces off in a primary battle against Matt Bevin in May. Polling for the race has shown McConnell with a more than 20-point lead. If he wins the primary, he will face off against Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) in the general election. 

Bevin, who also attended the dinner, was not allowed to speak, according to the wire service.