“You don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday to know there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”
— In a December ad courting social conservatives by appealing to Perry’s Christian faith.

“This is such a cool state. I mean come on. ‘Live free or die.’ You got to love that right? I come from a state, you know, where they have this little place called the Alamo and they declared, ‘Victory or death.’ We’re kind of into those slogans, man. It’s like, ‘live free or die,’ ‘victory or death.’ Bring it.”
— In a bizarrely energetic speech on Oct. 29 in New Hampshire.

“And I will tell you it’s three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, education and the, uh, what’s the third one there? Let’s see … I would do away with the education, the, uh, commerce and let’s see, I can’t. … Sorry. Oops.”
— When talking about his plans during the Nov. 9 Michigan debate to eliminate three federal agencies if elected president.

“Those of you that will be 21 by Nov. 12, I ask for your support and your vote.”
— Misidentifying the voting age and the election date at a town hall meeting on Nov. 29 at the Institute of Politics in New Hampshire.

“When you see his appointment of two, from my perspective, inarguably activist judges, whether it was, uh, not Montemayor…”
— In an attempt during a Dec. 9 interview with the Des Moines Register Editorial Board to name Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor when discussing what he believes is Obama’s war on religion.