LOS ANGELES (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry will swing through California this week for private meetings with Republican leaders and legislators that will stoke speculation that he plans to enter the 2012 presidential race.

It will be the Republican governor’s second trip to the nation’s most populous state in less than three weeks.

Perry plans to a meet behind closed doors Thursday with Orange County Republicans and, later in the day, with legislators in Sacramento. He also plans a sit-down with business leaders and potential fundraisers in Beverly Hills.

He starts his trip Wednesday in San Diego, where he will speak at a Boy Scouts event.

Perry has said he’s thinking about joining the 2012 field.

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