WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry dropped out of the race for the 2012 Republican U.S. presidential nomination today after a series of gaffes and controversies undercut the campaign of the one-time frontrunner. He endorsed former rival Newt Gingrich.
“I’ve always believed the mission is greater than the man. As I have contemplated the future of this campaign, I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign,” Perry, 61, told supporters in South Carolina, the conservative southern state where he had hoped to revive his campaign in Saturday’s Republican presidential primary.
“Therefore today I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president of the United States,” Perry added. “I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country.”
Perry entered the race in August cheered by conservative activists and evangelical Christians dissatisfied with former Massachusetts Governor Romney, a more moderate politician who touted his business background.
The Texas governor briefly was at the front of the pack of Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination to face Democratic President Barack Obama on Nov. 6. But a series of gaffes, poor debate performances and controversial statements during the campaign undermined his standing in polls.
Speaking of Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Perry said: “We’ve had our differences, which campaigns will inevitably have. And Newt is not perfect. But who among us is?”
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