Three candidates now out

     Governor Rick Perry dropped out of the Republican nomination process Thursday.  He left by endorsing his fellow rival Newt Gingrich hoping that he will eventually win.  Perry stated that “Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?”  He praised the former House speaker for being a “conservative visionary,” a man to follow as a model for other politicians in most aspects.  This, however, does not ensure that Perry voters will go straight into Gingrich’s pocket.  Gingrich has to use his persuasive rhetoric to move more voters to his side of the arena, and if he can do this, he may just win the South Carolina primary.  Unfortunately, this was the end of promising Perry ticket.  He started off strong, combating for first place for several weeks against Romney, but his performance in the debates shattered his character, marked by forgetting the third federal agency he wanted to abolish.  This is huge for all the remaining four candidates.  Either one can pick up more votes and fuel their campaign onward.  The evangelical vote will be the most important section in the South Carolina primary since Perry had the most support in that area of the spectrum.  With the field narrower, it may soon be clear who the nominee is, instead of having a prolonged battle.  The author is indifferent on the situation, merely commenting on the details and facts of the event.

      The Oregonian

Rick Perry drops out of GOP presidential race

Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 8:38 AM  by the Associative Press

View full sizeDavid Goldman/APRepublican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry pauses while announcing Thursday that he is suspending his campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsed Newt Gingrich, adding a fresh layer of unpredictability to the campaign two days before the South Carolina primary.

"Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?" Perry said. He called the former House speaker a "conservative visionary" best suited to replace Barack Obama in the White House.

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's exit marked the end of a campaign that began with soaring expectations, but quickly faded. He shot to the head of the public opinion polls when he announced his candidacy last summer, but a string of poor debate performances soon led to a decline in support.

His defining moment came at one debate when he unaccountably could not recall the third of three federal agencies he has promised to abolish. He joked about it afterward, but never recovered from the fumble.