Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry said Wednesday that he will remain in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, despite taking fifth in Tuesday’s Iowa caucus.
“And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State. … Here we come South Carolina!!!,” the Texas governor wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday afternoon.
Mr. Perry made his announcement moments after Representative Michele Bachmann said she would abandon the race. After winning 10 percent of the vote in Iowa on Tuesday, Mr. Perry said he would spend Wednesday in Texas, part of a plan “to determine whether there is a path forward” for his White House bid.
The Texas Republican, who has struggled for weeks in the polls, said he had reached his decision to continue on in the 2012 race during a morning jog.
“I was out on the trail when it kind of came to me,” said Perry on his decision that there is indeed a path forward for him in the race. “You all just have to wait and see,” he said. “It’s there, it’s clearly there.”
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Perry said he remains committed to seeking the Republican nomination, despite his performance in Iowa. The Texas Republican said Tuesday night’s results were a reflection of the voting populace in Iowa, which Mr. Perry termed “quirky.”
“This wasn’t a hard decision,” said the Texas Republican. “[Iowa] is a quirky place, a quirky process to say the least and we’re going to go into places where they have actual primaries and there are going to be real Republicans voting.”
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Perry communications director Ray Sullivan said Tuesday night that the campaign would be considering donor and grassroots support, as well as the South Carolina field, when deciding the path forward. Mr. Perry entered the Republican field with one of the best fundraising bases of any candidate. Earlier this year, Mr. Perry served as the head of the Republican Governrors Association.
