Perry launches new ads highlighting faith, energy policy

Rick Perry hopes a pair of new television ads — one playing to an evangelical base, and the other comparing President Obama to President Carter — can help elevate his campaign back into a volatile Republican race.

Perry's campaign released the ads Thursday in Iowa. The Texas governor hopes using the financial advantage he built up early in the Republican campaign before a series of debate gaffes stuck a pin in his inflating poll numbers can help him to reassert himself into the GOP race.

In one of the ads, Perry speaks directly to the camera about his faith, clearly targeting the state's large bloc of evangelical Christians, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Some liberals say that faith is a sign of weakness. They’re wrong," Perry said.

Perry also says that "we all need God's help," and that he is "not ashamed to talk about his faith."

In the second ad, Perry contrasts Carter and Obama, calling for an end to "dependence on foreign oil," arguing that the Democrats were "all talk" and "no action."

Perry goes on to argue that by eliminating regulations and reopening American gas fields, the country could "kick our foreign oil habit."

"Our county's reliance on unstable, foreign nations as energy sources is dangerous," said Perry campaign communications director Ray Sullivan in a statement. "Gov. Perry's top priority for revitalizing domestic energy is becoming energy independent. This new ad underscores his commitment to utilizing all of our country's national energy sources and creating American jobs."

Perry's releases come as Mitt Romney introduced his first ad in the state Wednesday, signaling a more serious effort to win the Hawkeye State. The Texas governor would likely need to outperform his current poll numbers in Iowa to stay relevant into the Republican primary. The latest poll from Insider Advantage had Perry winning 7 percent of likely caucusgoers, putting him sixth in the GOP field.

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