Just when we thought Rick Perry might be going back to Texas for a while…he’s headed to South Carolina instead.
Tuesday night, when addressing supporters after his fifth-place showing in the Iowa caucuses, Perry seemed to imply that he was on the way out of the race — saying that he would return to Texas to “reassess” the campaign: “with a little prayer and reflection, I am going to decide the best path forward.”
In practical political terms, of course, if a candidate says they are considering dropping out of a campaign — then they just did, as party supporters will likely take their financial resources and human energies to more stable investments.
But then, late in the morning on Wednesday, Perry tweeted this message: “And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State…Here we come South Carolina!!!”
The tweet also included this photo, apparently of Perry out on his morning jog, and giving a thumb-up gesture:
As Politico reported, Perry spokesman Mark Miner did not immediately know what the tweet was about. But the campaign then confirmed it — Perry is staying in. But even then, the decision appeared to take some of his advisers by surprise.
One thing to keep in mind: Perry could very well be excluded from the CNN debate on January 19, two days before the South Carolina primary. According to the channel’s criteria for inclusion, a candidate must get at least 4th place in either Iowa or New Hampshire, or get 7% support in at least three national Republican or South Carolina primary polls.
Perry just got fifth place in Iowa. He does not appear well poised to improve on that in New Hampshire. And his national and South Carolina poll numbers are looking shaky for the latter requirements.
So even if Perry doesn’t drop out of the race, the race could end up dropping him.
