Am I missing something here? Even the most recent polls have him at 2-4%, indicating virtually no movement. Moreover, should he become a more serious contender, other candidates will begin to dig up dirt (ok, admittedly the dirt is already on the surface) on him. I mean just look at how soft he is on illegals:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2014/01/07/nj-gov-christie-holds-ceremonial-signing-in-state-tuition-bill-for-undocumented/. If this brought down Perry, it'll do the same to a resurgent Christie.