Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign staff in New Hampshire is disbanding, as WMUR-9 in New Hampshire first reported.
In the newest sign that Perry has written off New Hampshire, top strategist Michael Dennehy told WMUR that he has not received payment since June or heard from anyone on the campaign during the past month. Dennehy helped pilot Sen. John McCain’s wins in the Granite State’s presidential primaries, and said he remains a strong supporter of Perry but not an adviser.
“[T]he reality is the campaign is broke,” Dennehy told WMUR. “My own advice to them was to go and camp out in Iowa. That is where he has had the largest investment in financial and human resources over the past five years.”
Perry has reportedly visited the “Live Free or Die” state one time since Independence Day, July 4th, and has not returned in nearly one month. Dante Vitagliano, Perry’s New Hampshire political director, recently departed team Perry for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who polls second in the state according to RealClearPolitics’ average of New Hampshire polls. Kasich does much better in New Hampshire than he does nationwide, as he finishes in eighth place in RealClearPolitics’ average of national polls.
The Opportunity and Freedom PAC, a super political action committee supporting Perry that has attempted to replace some of the sputtering campaign’s traditional operations, has indicated that it, too, has grown less interested in New Hampshire.
“We’re not writing New Hampshire off, per se, but yesterday we announced our leadership teams in Iowa and that’s what we’re focused on right now as we get to a place where we are more comfortable,” Jordan Russell, a spokesman for the pro-Perry super PAC, told CBS News on Tuesday.
Reached for comment on Wednesday about Perry’s demise in New Hampshire, Perry’s spokeswoman issued the following statement:
“Gov. Perry continues to travel the country sharing his optimistic vision for the future of the country and his proven record of success, and he continues to focus on competing in the early states. Whether it’s his time serving as governor of the 12th largest economy in the world, stepping in when Washington, D.C., failed to secure our border, or serving our country in the U.S. Air Force, Gov. Perry’s record is unmatched by any other candidate in the field.”
Perry finishes behind 11 other GOP presidential candidates in New Hampshire, according to an average of statewide polling. Averages of surveys in other early nominating states show Perry behind 13 other Republican candidates in Iowa and trailing 12 candidates in South Carolina. He also fails to crack the top ten in averages of national polls, which means Perry remains unlikely to make the main stage of the next GOP presidential debate in California later this month.
