Texas Gov. Rick Perry to announce presidential bid on Saturday

Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry will announce he is running for President of the United States during a speech in South Carolina on Saturday, according to Politico.

Perry is the longest-serving governor in Texas history and has recently come under fire for an evangelical Christian prayer rally that he initiated in Houston. Critical observers described the event as a "campaign prop."

Perry will be disclosing his intention to run for president the same day as the influential Ames straw poll. The outcome of the poll is used to judge a campaign's ability to organize and mobilize its supporters.

Although Iowa Republican leaders left Perry off the Ames Straw Poll ballot, groups like Americans for Rick Perry and GrowPAC have urged people to write in his name.

After speaking in South Carolina, Perry is scheduled to arrive in New Hampshire and then head to Iowa.

A poll released June 29 showed that in a hypothetical match-up for the presidency, President Barack Obama would defeat Perry among Texas voters by a margin of 45-47 percent.