Texas Gov. Rick Perry is calling it quits and will abandoning his presidential bid for the White House.
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According to Republican officials, Perry will bounce from the race and endorse his boy Newt Gingrich.
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Perry plans a news conference at 11am in South Carolina, where he will announce his decision.
In recent days Perry has received calls to drop out due to his decreasing poll numbers and overall performances in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary.
At his press conference Perry said “Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?”. He called the former House speaker a “conservative visionary” best suited to replace Barack Obama in the White House.
As Reported By The Associated Press:
While the ultimate impact of Perry’s decision is unclear, it reduced the number of conservative challengers to Mitt Romney.
The decision also reinforced the perception that Gingrich is the candidate on the move in the final hours of the South Carolina campaign, and that the front-running Romney is struggling to hold onto his longtime lead.
Perry had scarcely finished speaking when Gingrich issued a statement welcoming the endorsement. “I ask the supporters of Governor Perry to look at my record of balancing the budget, cutting spending, reforming welfare, and enacting pro-growth policies to create millions of new jobs and humbly ask for their vote,” Gingrich said.
Romney reacted by praising Perry for running “a campaign based upon love of country and conservative principles” and saying he “has earned a place of prominence as a leader in our party.”
SOURCE: AP
