Perry Kicks Off Series of S.C. GOP Fundraisers

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be the keynote speaker and the first GOP presidential candidate set to headline South Carolina's first-in-the-South lunch series.

The luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Clarion Town House Hotel, 1615 Gervais St., Columbia. Tickets for the $75 per person event can be purchased online on the SC GOP web site, State Republican Party Executive Director Matt Moore said Monday.

Moore said Friday's event is the first of many scheduled throughout the fall to help the GOP offset costs for the state primary. He said the organization is well on its way to meeting a $1 million goal. The party has raised at least $160,000 from candidate filing fees. 

On Saturday in Charleston, Perry announced his candidacy for the 2012 presidential election.