Rick Perry
Precisely one week after hosting a prayer rally funded by an anti-gay hate group, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to announce his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Politico has the scoop:

Rick Perry intends to use a speech in South Carolina Saturday to make clear that he’s running for president, POLITICO has learned.

According to two sources familiar with the plan, the Texas governor will remove any doubt about his White House intentions during his appearance at a RedState conference in Charleston.

It’s uncertain whether Saturday will mark a formal declaration, but Perry’s decision to disclose his intentions the same day as the Ames straw poll–and then hours later make his first trip to New Hampshire– will send shockwaves through the race and upend whatever results come out of the straw poll.