Rick Perry Says He's More Jewish Than You Think He Is

AP

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who attends an evangelical Christian megachurch and was baptized in a local river in April, also claims to have a strong connection to the Jewish community.

"I'm more Jewish than you think I am," Perry told New York Times Magazine's Mark Leibovich for a story published Tuesday. "I read the part of the Bible that said the Jews are God's chosen people."

Perry, who is contemplating another run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, was musing on his own Jewishness at a Jewish deli in Beverly Hills, California. He was visiting the state to promote Texas businesses and speak to a group of Jewish Republicans in Los Angeles.

"Boys, I am going to bless this meal," Perry reportedly declared after ordering a corned-beef Reuben and a Diet Dr. Pepper.

After bragging that he has been traveling to Israel since 1992, Leibovich said, Perry "got down to business, thanking the Lord for His many blessings."

As for whether he'll indeed make another run for president, Perry simply said, "I dunno."