Rick Perry is probably the most publicly Christian (possible) candidate in the race right now. He’s about to hold a huge prayer day August 6, and earlier this year, set aside three days to pray for rain. While evangelical leaders appreciate his openness about his faith, they do still harbor some concerns. From my piece today:

While evangelical leaders laud Perry’s willingness to promote prayer publicly, they are hesitant to immediately anoint him as 2012’s Mike Huckabee.
“He’s got some bumps to explain,” says Land. Perkins concurs, arguing that Perry has some “chink[s] in his social conservative armor.” Indeed, Mike Huckabee himself wrote a scathing e-mail last week lambasting Perry. “For all his new found commitment to hyper-conservatism, he’ll get to explain why he supported pro-abortion, pro-same sex marriage Rudy Giuliani last time,” chided Huckabee.
Huckabee is not alone in his unease. Over in Iowa, social conservatives have also expressed concern. State representative Dwayne Alons, who endorsed Huckabee in 2008, criticized Perry for his assertion last week that it was “fine” for New York State to legalize gay marriage. “That may be the case that the state can decide, but I do think a person running for president, who has strong family values, should still come out in strong support of maintaining leadership . . . having marriage defined as between one man and one woman,” Alons says.
Bob Vander Plaats, head of an Iowa social-conservative organization, the Family Leader, and Huckabee’s Iowa campaign chair, noted likewise that Perry is “going to have to address” his positions on several issues, including gay marriage, the Giuliani endorsement, and the 2007 executive order that mandated all sixth grade girls receive Gardasil, a cervical-cancer vaccine.

Full piece here. Ultimately, Perry’s “bumps” seem like matters he can overcome, but it would be a mistake to assume social conservatives will immediately embrace him as a candidate.