Perkins forms PAC

Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council (FRC), will announce the formation of a new PAC on Friday, at the same time unveiling the PAC’s first endorsements of candidates running this year.

Perkins will make the announcement as the FRC’s Values Voters Summit gets under way in Washington.

{mosads}Perkins, a leading evangelical figure of the religious right, and the FRC join a wide array of socially conservative groups credited with helping conservative candidates, including President Bush, get elected.

At last year’s Values Voters Summit, ex-presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the straw poll while Republican nominee John McCain, who at the time was struggling to right his listing campaign ship, came in last behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

McCain, his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and the Democratic ticket — Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden — have all been invited to this year’s summit. As of Wednesday, none of the candidates had accepted the invitation.