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Did Rick Perry double spending in 10 years?

National

By W. Gardner Selby September 15, 2011

A group favoring U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota for president posted an ad online this month suggesting Gov. Rick Perry, the leading hopeful for the Republican presidential nomination, isn’t a fiscal conservative.

In the spot, targeted at South Carolina voters, the narrator says Perry "doubled state spending in a decade."

PolitiFact Texas checked the numbers and found the claim was a bit of a stretch.

See Truth-O-Meter item.

stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable's "Capital Tonight":

Says U.S. Rep. John Carter "hasn’t held a town hall in five years."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender:

Says "black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Silvestre Reyes

stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests."

true

true

stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Ken Paxton "shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio:

Says "only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years" has "a worse record on bipartisanship" than Ted Cruz.

true

true

Alexander Strenger

stated on October 1, 2018 in response cited in an interactive voter guide:

Says 60 percent of Austin’s "waterways are found to be contaminated with fecal matter and deemed unsafe to swim."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 29, 2018 in an Austin rally:

Says that in Texas, "you can be too gay to adopt" a foster child "who needs a loving home."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says Beto O’Rourke described police as "modern-day Jim Crow."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says he "did not try to leave the scene of the accident" that led to his arrest for driving while intoxicated.

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 12, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke voted "against body armor for Texas sheriffs patrolling the border."

false

false

stated on August 26, 2018 in an interview on Fox & Friends:

Says Texas has "had over 600,000 crimes committed by illegals since 2011. Over 1,200 homicides."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on August 30, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Texas "high school graduation rates are at all-time highs."

true

true

stated on September 4, 2018 in a video:

Says Beto O’Rourke said he’s grateful that people are burning or desecrating the American flag.

false

false

stated on August 28, 2018 in an online video ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted against" Hurricane Harvey "tax relief."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable's "Capital Tonight":

Says U.S. Rep. John Carter "hasn’t held a town hall in five years."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender:

Says "black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Silvestre Reyes

stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests."

true

true

stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Ken Paxton "shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio:

Says "only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years" has "a worse record on bipartisanship" than Ted Cruz.

true

true

Ritchie Torres
stated on July 20, 2025 in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union":

“Since Donald Trump's inauguration, we have seen an 11% decline in the value of the dollar, the steepest decline in more than a half a century.”

By Louis Jacobson • July 25, 2025
U.S. Trade Representative
stated on July 20, 2025 in a social media post:

“America had a trade surplus in ice cream in 2020 under President Trump's leadership, but that surplus turned into a trade deficit of $40.6 million under President Biden's watch.”

By Gabrielle Lazor • July 24, 2025
Gavin Newsom
stated on July 18, 2025 in an X post:

Florida: #51 in mental health care, #1 in home insurance costs, #1 in elder fraud, #1 in rent hikes.

By Ella Moore • July 23, 2025
Howard Lutnick
stated on July 20, 2025 in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation":

Tariffs are “going to pay off our deficit.”

By Louis Jacobson • July 22, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on July 22, 2025 in a press conference:

In 2016, after Donald Trump won the presidency, then-President Barack Obama was “trying to lead a coup” with Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton.

By Louis Jacobson • July 22, 2025
TikTok posts
stated on July 19, 2025 in a post on TikTok:

“The White House just announced that Trump only has four days left” because of his chronic venous insufficiency.

By Madison Czopek • July 21, 2025
Lori Chavez-DeRemer
stated on July 17, 2025 in a post on X:

Under President Donald Trump’s newly signed tax law, “Those making less than $50,000 receive the largest (tax) cuts.”

By Louis Jacobson • July 21, 2025
Gavin Newsom
stated on July 14, 2025 in a podcast interview:

“California provides $83.1 billion more than we receive from the federal government. Texas? Receives $71.1 billion more than they provide to the federal government. 71% of the U.S. GDP comes from blue counties.”

By Louis Jacobson • July 18, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on July 15, 2025 in comments to reporters:

The Jeffrey Epstein files “were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama. They were made up by Biden.”

By Grace Abels • July 18, 2025
TikTok posts
stated on July 12, 2025 in una publicación en TikTok:

El sheriff del condado Kerr, Texas dijo, “que se debe solicitar la residencia permanente para el equipo de rescate mexicano que rescató a su familia”.

By Maria Briceño • July 16, 2025

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