Greenland, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Rick Perry aimed Saturday to shift attention from Iowa's straw poll to New Hampshire and South Carolina, where he told conservative activists he is seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

The Texas governor addressed a group of voters in Greenland, New Hampshire, a state where he is expected to launch an aggressive campaign.

"It's time to get America working, folks, and that's the reason I am announcing my candidacy today to be president of the United States," he said, as supporters cheered.

Perry came in sixth as an unofficial write-in on the nonbinding Ames Straw Poll. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as expected, took the top three positions in the vote.

Perry spoke at the home of DeputyHouse Speaker Pam Tucker, one of several state officials who had previously traveled to Austin, Texas, to woo the governor.

Perry told his supporters that he intends to "compete for every vote in every state" and vowed to cover the country during the course of his campaign. He addressed Barack Obama directly during his speech, telling the president: "You can't win the future by selling it off to foreign creditors."

He called the recent Standard and Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating one of a "number of recent downgrades."

Earlier in the day, Perry announced that he would run for the Republican nomination at the RedState Gathering in Charleston, South Carolina, one day after meeting with Alabama Republicans.

"I came to South Carolina because I cannot accept the path the country