(The Texas Tribune) – In 2004, Karla Reséndiz graduated near the top of her class at Rockwall High School outside of Dallas. She was a member of the National Honor Society, captain of the fencing team and the leader of the school’s junior Rotary Club.

From there, Reséndiz went on to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree with honors in 2010 after completing the University of Texas at Austin’s six-year program. She paid the same in-state tuition rate any other Texas student would to attend the flagship public university. Now, Reséndiz and others like her find themselves engulfed in the latest political skirmish to roil the Republican candidates for president.

Reséndiz is the child of illegal immigrants — her family brought her to Texas from Mexico City in 1998 when she was 12 years old. (Story continues after video.)

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HOUSTON – At an event which many critics said was simply Gov. Rick Perry’s attempt to gain support from Evangelical Christians for his Presidential campaign, which news reports say he will announce this Saturday in South Carolina, approximately 30,000 people attended The Response prayer rally Saturday in Houston.

Among them were Rockwall County residents Johanna Ernst Runnels, Nathan Derr, Ann Hettinger, Rockwall City Council member Michelle Smith, Rockwall Tea Party founder John White and his wife, Frances.

According to Runnels and Smith, what they witnessed were thousands of Christians who were genuinely praying for Jesus Christ to heal our nation. Derr wrote on Facebook page that the rally was a great success.

“It was great to see everyone there and participate in “The Response” which was truly a great success and moving experience!”

Runnels, Smith  and White agreed the event was non-political, and Runnels said she is now awaiting God’s response to the event.

“What a blessing and encouragement to sit amongst brothers and sisters in Christ praying for our nation,” she said. “I was grateful for the turnout and how non-political Perry’s words were.”

“Worship before the event officially began was especially sweet to my old ears—hymns led by a couple accompanied on the guitar. Praying that our prayers were a sweet savor to our Lord. Now I am expectantly awaiting God’s response to our response.”

“I also appreciated Gov. Perry’s relinquishment on who prayed and the leadership’s commitment to the keep the focus on prayer and not who was praying, avoiding any attempt to draw people by promoting the big names who came. Our nation’s only hope for survival lies not in the halls of Congress or state government but in the hallways of Heaven so to speak.”

Smith said it was not a political rally and wonders how anyone could question all those who prayed for seven hours for Christ to restore the nation’s moral decay.

“What I witnessed as a participant to the response was 35,000 plus believers in Jesus Christ who were in a corporate prayer earnestly seeking Christ to heal our land.”

As 2 Chronicles 7:14 states, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

“This was not a political rally, and I don’t know how anyone could question the hearts of people who pray for seven-plus hours to Jesus for restoration of the moral decay we find our country in today.”

Smith said she was not swayed into supporting or not supporting Perry for President, but did appreciate his call to pray.

“As far as Perry for President, this rally did not at all make me more supportive or less supportive of him for President. I believe we as a country have a responsibility to carefully choose who our next president should be, and just because a Governor hosts a rally such as this does not make him a top contender for me. I appreciate his call to pray for healing of our nation.”

Runnels said she might be a bit more willing to support Perry now.

“As in every election, I withhold any personal decision on a candidate until the filing deadline is passed and we know who all the players are. However, the Perry I heard Saturday seems to be a different Perry than I have heard before. I would say his comments at The Response pushed the needle in a more favorable direction. There is NO perfect candidate just as there is no perfect person. He is definitely in the camp of “Someone else” for President, however.”

By J.J. Smith, Publisher

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By J.J. Smith. Over 300 committed Republicans attended the Rockwall County GOP’s annual Reagan Day Dinner Saturday night at the Hilton Bella Harbor Hotel to meet and hear a number of Texas political leaders, military heroes and Rockwall County political candidates.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, Congressmen Ralph Hall and Sam Johnson, plus U.S Air Force fighter pilot Scott F. O’Grady were the featured speakers.

Gov. Perry was campaigning for his third elected term in office. He has been Governor of Texas for 11 years, after being appointed to the office when former Gov. George Bush was elected President of the United States.

Fifteen-term Rockwall Congressman Ralph Hall is seeking his sixteenth term in office. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980. From 1942-45 he was an aircraft carrier jet pilot for the US Navy.

First elected to the House representing Texas 3rd Congressional District in 1991, Sam Johnson returned home to Texas after serving in the U.S. Air Force for 29-years as a highly-decorated fighter pilot. He flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was a prisoner of war in Hanoi for nearly seven years.

O’ Grady is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot who gained prominence after the June 2, 1995 Mrkonjić Grad incident, in which he ejected over Bosnia when his F-16C was shot down by Bosnian Serbs while he was patrolling the no-fly zone. He survived for six days by eating leaves, grass and ants, and avoiding Serb patrols while trying to contact NATO’s airborne command center. He evaded capture and was rescued on June 8 by U.S. Marines . The film Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based on his story.

For more information about the Rockwall County GOP, visit www.rockwallgop.com.

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By J.J. Smith. Incumbent Gov. Rick Perry’s lead over Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has grown a little bigger in the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in Texas, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll just released after last Friday’s televised debate.

Tea Party activist Debra Medina also has gained ground, and her gains appear to come at the expense of Hutchison.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey of likely Republican Primary voters in Texas finds Perry leading Hutchison 44% to 29%, with Medina at 16%.

Medina has gained four points since the previous survey while Hutchison has lost four points. Perry’s support is little changed from a month ago.

Medina, the owner of a medical consulting firm, has seen her support grow from four percent (4%) in November to 12% in January to 16% now. She was invited to participate in the televised debate with Perry and Hutchison last Friday night based upon the growing voter support shown in a previous Rasmussen Reports survey.

Texas Republicans will choose their nominee for governor in the March 2 primary. New numbers on the Texas general election gubernatorial contest will be released by Rasmussen Reports soon.

Perry leads Hutchison by 18 points among conservative primary voters, and conservatives dominate Republican primaries in Texas and throughout the nation. Hutchison leads by 11 among moderate voters.

Turnout is often difficult to project for primaries. However, for Hutchison to win with the current attitudes, she would need more than 50% of the primary voters to be politically moderate.

Perry leads Hutchison by 24 points among men and five points among women.

Medina picks up 20% of the male vote and 12% support from women.

Eighty percent (80%) of likely primary voters have a favorable opinion of Perry. Sixty-seven percent (67%) say the same about Hutchison, and 50% are that upbeat about Medina.

However, Medina is much more competitive when those with strong opinions are considered. Twenty-four percent (24%) voice a Very Favorable opinion of Perry, 18% have a Very Favorable opinion of Hutchison, and 16% say the same about Medina.

Four percent (4%) have a Very Unfavorable opinion of Perry. Each of the other candidates is viewed Very Unfavorably by eight percent (8%).

Hutchison initially indicated a willingness to quit the Senate to run for governor but has never set a date for stepping down. In November, 57% of all voters in the state said Hutchison should stay in the Senate while running for her party’s gubernatorial nod, said Rasmussen.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Texas GOP voters approve of the job Perry is doing as governor. That’s up six points from a month ago. However, only 18% strongly approve.

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