NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry ended his presidential bid on Thursday, endorsing Newt Gingrich just two days before the primary in South Carolina, where the former House Speaker is gaining momentum against front-runner Mitt Romney.
“There is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign,” he said at a hotel here, joined by his wife, Anita. “Therefore, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich.”
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For Gingrich, Perry’s endorsement is a shot in the arm as the Palmetto State race has clearly evolved into a two-man contest between the former Georgia congressman and Romney.
However, Perry who surprised the political establishment by campaigning in South Carolina after lackluster showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, was polling in low single digits despite his evangelical appeal here in the South.
Regardless, any coalescing of social conservatives will serve as a boon for Gingrich, who could face fallout from a controversial interview to air on ABC tonight, in which his second wife, Marianne, accuses him of seeking an “open marriage.”
Sensing concern from conservatives over Gingrich’s moral baggage, Perry said that Gingrich’s evolution was representative of the transformative influence of faith.
“Newt is not perfect,” Perry said. “But who among us is? The fact is — there is forgiveness for those who seek God. I believe in redemption.”
Gingrich was not present at the event, instead sticking to his original campaigning schedule for Thursday.
But at an event in Beaufort, he said: “I was very honored and very humbled to have Gov. Perry speak so well in endorsing me just a few moments ago. He has been a great patriot. I am asking you to be with me.”
Perry had faced more pressure in recent days to drop out of the race, as social conservatives search for a candidate to unite behind in their push against the more-moderate, Romney. Those efforts, coupled with a strong debate performance from Gingrich this week, have transformed a race previously believed to be trending Romney’s way.
Recent polls, however, show Gingrich either in a dead heat or ahead of the former Bay State governor, who previously enjoyed a comfortable double-digit lead here.
Perry’s exit — or has he dubbed it, a “strategic retreat” — means an even narrower field of Republican candidates will take to the debate stage in Charleston tonight.
Such a format will allow Gingrich and Romney ample time to exchange blows, in addition to granting former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum much-needed opportunities to corral voters from Gingrich.
Perry’s announcement Thursday — in the same city where he launched his presidential campaign — punctuated a dramatic fall for the Texas governor, as he entered the race to widespread acclaim and immediately skyrocketed to the top of the polls.
But a chain of self-inflicted wounds — primarily a series of debate gaffes, such as the “oops” moment when he failed to remember the federal agencies he wanted to eliminate — doomed a candidate who many expected to unite both establishment and social conservatives.
