Texas Gov. Rick Perry Will Endorse Giuliani

(Updated)

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) plans to endorse Rudy Giuliani at an early morning news conference, Giuliani campaign advisers confirmed.

Perry, who succeeded George W. Bush as governor, would be the first sitting governor to endorse Giuliani. He brings added cachet as a Southerner and a social conservative, although he is not uniformly well-regarded by conservative elites in Washington. He may -- or may not be -- a vice presidential prospect. He is in the party's center on immigration, and has clashed, at times, with various wings of the Texas Republican Party.

Giuliani's finance team is top-heavy with Texas Republicans, and the Perry and Giuliani circles intersect.

A person who answered the phone in Perry's press office two hours ago referred all comment to Perry's press secretary, Robert Black, who did not immediately return a message. Perry was re-elected in 2006 with 39% percent of the vote in a three-way race. He is said to be a candidate for the chairman's spot at the Republican Governors Association.

Update: seems like the Right of Texas blog got there before I did.