Des Moines, Iowa – With the caucuses just hours away, Rick Perry made an impassioned plea at a town hall this afternoon for Iowans to consider his candidacy.

“If you’ll go to that caucus tonight and have my back, I will go to Washington D.C. and have your back for you for the next four years,” he told the audience at Nationwide Insurance.

“Tonight you have the opportunity to go to the caucus and caucus for me,” Perry said. “I want to ask you to do that. I want you to do it because of my record. I want you to do it because of what you’ve heard and seen.

Speaking about what he had achieved in Texas, Perry added, “If you want to know how a person’s going to function in the future, look to their past, and you have a pretty good idea.”

Perry was joined by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, who energetically praised him. “This election’s not about speaking styles or debating styles. It’s about who has the right vision and the leadership skills to direct our country,” Jindal said.

“Rick Perry has stood up and offered detailed plans about a smaller central government,” he added. “He’s offered detailed plans for how we can restore our freedom, live within our means, preserve those opportunities for our children and grandchildren.”