Perry: I'm one of you

HOUSTON (AP):

Texas Governor Rick Perry sent a strong message to the nation's evangelicals Saturday: he is a member of the important constituency for Republicans that he soon may call upon to help him secure the GOP presidential nomination.

The state's longest-serving governor hosted what he called a national day of prayer, an event at Reliant Arena that drew roughly 30,000 people and that was broadcast on cable Christian channels and the Internet nation-wide, including in at least 1,000 churches.

"Father, our heart breaks for America," Perry said in 12 minutes of remarks that included prayer and Bible passages - but no direct mention of politics or his presidential plans. "We see discord at home. We see fear in the marketplace. We see anger in the halls of government and, as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us."

He asked Christians to turn to God for answers to the nation's troubles, and asked the audience to pray for President Barack Obama - though he did not use the Democratic incumbent's name - as well as for the American troops killed in the weekend attack on a US helicopter in Afghanistan.

The moment gave Perry a national spotlight before a pivotal voting group in the GOP nomination fight - in the early voting states of Iowa and South Carolina, in particular - as he nears a decision on whether to run for president. His entrance into the field could shake up the contest ,because Perry could attract both social and economic conservatives at a time when the GOP electorate is unsettled with the current slate of candidates. Many have been campaigning for months and are trying to break out of the pack.