Rick Perry expects to make 2012 campaign decision in next month

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has been flirting with a presidential run in 2012, said Friday that he'll make an announcement in three to four weeks.

He said during a forum with Republican governors in Aspen, Colo., that his decision-making has been a “thoughtful process” and that presidential aspirations had not been on his radar two months ago, according to the Aspen Daily News.

Perry, who has taken several high-profile meetings with potential supporters over the past month, said, "I'm basically asking people, 'Do you think there's room in this presidential election for a full-throated, unapologetic fiscal conservative? And if you do think there's room, are you going to help?'"

Perry also picked up an unexpected statement of support following remarks he made about gay marriage.

The group GOProud reacted to Perry calling New York’s decision to legalize gay marriage “fine by me.”

Perry said gay marriage is an issue for the states to decide. “That is their call,” he said of New York. “If you believe in the 10th Amendment, stay out of their business."

GOProud sent out an alert to supporters on Saturday calling Perry “absolutely right. Thank you for staying true to your conservative principles by supporting states’ rights,” it said.

GOProud is a Republican group that advocates for “gay conservatives” and is not always embraced by the rest of the GOP. The group has sought a voice in the presidential nomination process over the past few weeks by requesting meetings with the field of candidates.

GOProud would be an unexpected endorsement for Perry, who is typically more closely aligned with social conservatives and the Tea Party movement.

Although Perry still has not declared his candidacy, presidential hopeful Rick Santorum took a swipe at him based on his position on gay marriage.

“So Gov Perry, if a state wanted to allow polygamy or if they chose to deny heterosexuals the right to marry, would that be OK too?” he tweeted on Saturday.

Perry was speaking Friday with several other Republican governors at a McCloskey Speaker Series forum hosted by the Aspen Institute. The Republican Governors Association held a fundraiser and convention in Aspen, Colo.

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