The Wall Street Journal editorial board, representing the more big-donor establishment wing of the Republican Party, offered big praise for GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry on Sunday.

In an editorial, the Journal commended Perry for a speech he gave last week in Washington, D.C., in which he argued that Democratic policies have hurt black Americans, and criticized Republicans for failing to campaign for black votes. The Journal called Perry's speech "the speech of the campaign so far."

"The sad truth is that most Democrats and the American Left today want to polarize politics along racial lines," the editorial said. "They need to divide by race because their coalition is built on identity politics and grievance. Mr. Perry is showing how to respond in a way that points the country to a better, unifying future."

In his speech, which was excerpted in the Journal, Perry said that President Obama "cannot be proud of the fact that the prevalence of black poverty has actually increased under his leadership." He said, "It is Republicans, not Democrats, who are truly offering black Americans the hope of a better life for themselves and their children."

Perry made a bid for the White House in 2012, but is not considered to be a frontrunner in the current race and is believed to be trailing competitors Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and likely candidate Scott Walker in lining up big-money backers for his campaign. The Journal's editorial could serve as a boon for Perry among wealthy Republican donors.

The RealClearPolitics national poll average has Perry in eighth place out of the officially declared candidates.