In this March 31, 2011 file photo, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey is shown in his office in Nashville, Tenn. The Blountville Republican is dismissing as “silly” any criticism of Texas Gov. Rick Perry for supporting Democrat Al Gore’s presidential bid in 1988. In last year’s governor’s race, Ramsey ran TV ads criticizing the eventual winner, Bill Haslam, for once giving $1,000 to Gore’s 1988 campaign. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)