That would be Rick Perry, despite that he once worked with Al Gore.
Yes, Perry was once a Democrat and even served as Al Gore's state chairman during the 1988 White House campaign.
But conservatives who dismiss mandatory federal policies on global warming say they're willing to let Perry's Gore connection go. After all, his Austin track record has lately been all about blasting the Obama administration's green agenda, from lawsuits to daily praying for the president to reverse court on EPA regulations.
"If Perry was president, one of the things I'd not worry about is a carbon tax," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "I'd worry about big spiders eating New Jersey first."
As one would expect from a Texas GOP governor, Perry often talks about his energy record by giving the obligatory props to the state's bread and butter industries: oil and gas.
"We've been providing energy for the world almost since Texas was created," Perry said in February 2010, announcing a lawsuit against Obama's EPA climate policies.
Texas under Perry’s watch has also become a thorn in the side of the Obama EPA, with the governor often accusing the administration of unfairly targeting the Lone Star State for political purposes.
Perry's Texas is a lead challenger to the EPA's “endangerment” finding that declares carbon dioxide emissions a public health threat, setting the stage for regulations. And last month, Perry lashed out against the EPA for including Texas in a rule aimed at blocking power plant pollution from drifting across state lines, calling it “another example of heavy-handed and misguided action from Washington, D.C.”
Too bad we can't say the same for GOP Presidential Candidates Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman:
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