Aide: Perry to decide GOP bid in few weeks

AUSTIN, Texas, July 5 (UPI) -- Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry likely will decide during the next few weeks whether he wants to run for president in 2012, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Perry has said he'd consider entering the race to be the GOP presidential nominee after his state wraps up a special legislative session.

"There is no specific timeline," Perry spokesman Mark Miner told The Hill. "A decision will most likely be made in the next several weeks."

The legislative session ended last week and Perry is to undergo minor back surgery, officials said.

Recent polling indicates the Texas conservative would be a strong candidate. A McClatchy-Marist poll last week indicating Perry would be a top choice among Tea Party movement voters.