'American Sniper' Widow Taya Kyle Backs Rick Perry for President In 2016

ADDISON, Texas -- Taya Kyle, the widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, is all in for Rick Perry. And she suggested her late husband might have been, too.

Kyle stood on a stage in an airport hangar outside Dallas June 4 and threw her support behind the former Texas governor's presidential run, telling ABC News Perry’s character, humble nature and support for veterans pulled her into his camp.

"A lot of times, with politics, we’re looking at things that I feel are not the most important," said Kyle, who, since the death of her husband in 2013, has championed the cause of former members of the military and their families. "To me, the most important is character. And one of the things I love about the Perrys is that they are very humble people."

Perry, 65, flew planes while in the U.S. Air Force for five years in the 1970s.

Kyle, 40, said she has known Perry and his wife, Anita, for a few years, calling them "good people you can just sit in your jeans with," and suggested her late husband likely would have also supported Perry.

"Chris and I were always on the same page with this, where our goal is not to be in politics," the Texas resident said. "But at the same time, in this country, what makes it great, is you have to be strong enough sometimes to stand up for what you believe in, and to speak out for people you believe are worth speaking out for."

While Kyle has said she does not normally share her political beliefs, she said she decided to make an exception for Perry. She has been thrust into the spotlight after her late husband’s bestselling book, "American Sniper," was made into an Oscar-winning film of the same name, in which she was portrayed by Sienna Miller and he by Bradley Cooper.

Chris Kyle, a highly decorated U.S. Navy SEAL, was shot to death in 2013 by a fellow veteran he was trying to help. His widow has since used her newfound fame to write a memoir, support military families and, now, jump into the political fray.

She traveled to Iowa with Perry and several notable veterans last weekend for a fundraiser for an organization that connects veterans with service dogs.

Perry’s ties to veterans played a significant role in her decision to endorse him, she said. The former Texas governor and his wife famously took in retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell when he was struggling to adjust back to civilian life.

Luttrell went on to author the book "Lone Survivor," which was turned into a feature-length film. He, his wife and his twin brother, a current Navy SEAL, appeared on stage with Perry during his announcement event -- the twins stood on either side behind him, almost as if they were his bodyguards -- and Perry’s camp has highlighted the couple’s relationship with Luttrell in a video.

This run is the first time Perry’s military service has played such a prominent role in one of Perry’s campaigns, according to Harvey Kronberg, the publisher and editor of the Texas political newsletter The Quorum Report.

During Perry’s service in the Air Force from 1972 to 1977, he flew C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in the United States and abroad and rose to the rank of captain. He never saw combat, but he did pilot planes in Europe and the Middle East.

He has described how he landed a C-130 with a blown engine and survived a terrifying thunderstorm over Brussels. His father, Joseph Ray Perry, served in World War II and flew around three dozen missions in Europe on a B17 bomber.

"His military service is important to him, and he authentically honors these guys and feels a strong kinship with them," Kronberg told ABC News.

At his campaign kickoff, Perry praised the "selfless heroes" around him, naming Luttrell and Kyle.

"When I think of Taya Kyle," Perry said, "I think of a brave woman who carries not just the lofty burden of Chris’s legacy, but the grief of every family who has lost a loved one to the great tragedy of this war or its difficult aftermath. Anita and I want to thank Taya for her tremendous courage."