Texas Governor Rick Perry reportedly surprised even some of his closest staffers Wednesday morning when he returned from a run in the Texas Winter air and decided to press on in his bid for the Republican nomination. I say “reportedly” because Politico played the “unnamed source within the Perry camp” business just days ago and Perry smacked it down. It was actually one of the brighter points of his candidacy. See the video here…
Either way, it’s on to South Carolina for Team Perry. ”Reassessing” was a quick exercise and Perry appears ready to press on. New Hampshire’s in there somewhere as well, but that may be somewhat academic as the candidate doesn’t look to finish well there. So the final charge of candidate Perry will likely come in South Carolina – a state more suited to the Texas Governor. I have to admit, I kind like his chances for a comeback.
“Staying,” Allbaugh wrote in an email when asked whether Perry is remaining in the race.
A source close to Perry said the Texas governor decided to make a stand in South Carolina because “he is not a quitter and really is the only true conservative in the race.”
“Records matter; start comparing,” the source said.
Perry spokesman Mark Miner said Perry would stay in Texas until Friday, at which point he’ll head to New Hampshire and participate in the two debates there this weekend. The candidate will then go to South Carolina.
From where I sit, I think Perry’s making the right decision. As I said yesterday/this morning, getting out now seems a bit premature. His campaign’s still sitting on enough cash to mount a legitimate challenge in SC; and any dream of saving face and protecting the brand for a future run would be a long shot to say the least. He finished fifth in Tuesday’s Iowa Caucus with 10% of the vote – not exactly what his camp was hoping for. But with Bachmann no longer in the race, if he can present a picture that he (and not Pennsylvania’s Rick Santorum) is the true conservative alternative to Romney, he still could have a shot.
Admittedly, it’s a long shot; but I can’t fault the guy for continuing on. Why would a Texas Governor get out of this race before the contest turns South? Truth be told, I’d be furious if he did. I’m anything but “in the Perry camp”. I think that much is clear. But think about it for a moment. If the current system allows for Iowa and New Hampshire to “winnow” this field so dramatically that after two contests we’re left with Romney (Massachusetts), Santorum (Pennsylvania), Gingrich (Washington / Georgia), and Huntsman (Utah / New Hampshire); I would struggle to make the argument that it was anything but broken.
For a Republican Party to effectively choose its final pool of candidates before venturing into the heart of Republican country would be a travesty. How could this Party expect to rally around a candidate (any candidate) when two otherwise insignificant states are the only ones afforded a vote?
Here we come South Carolina!!
