warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Rick Perry Officially Suspends Campaign, Endorses Gingrich

Reut Cohen |
January 19, 2012 | 10:36 a.m. PST

Executive Producer

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons)
Texas Gov. Rick Perry suspended his campaign for presidency Thursday. During a press conference Perry said that he would return to his state "with pride" and that "there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign."

Perry surged to the front of the GOP field last summer when he entered the race, but was unable to maintain support. He told reporters Thursday that he realized it was "time to make a strategic retreat" while he took the time to make a brief endorsement of former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

"Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? The fact is there is forgiveness for those who seek God. And I believe in the power of redemption," Perry said at a press conference. "I have no question that Newt Gingrich has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement."

In a statement Gingrich said that he is said in a "humbled and honored" by Perry’s support.

Gingrich, meanwhile, is bracing for an interview featuring his ex-wife that the Drudge Report said has "explosive revelations [that] are set to rock the trail."

The ABC interview is set to air Thursday evening. It features Gingrich's second wife, Marianne Gingrich, who in the 1990s told a reporter that she could end her husband's political career with just one interview.

"He came to her and said, 'I want to stay married to you and still have an affair with Callista,' his current wife," Brian Ross, ABC’s chief investigative correspondent, told WMAL, a D.C. radio station, on Thursday.

Gingrich’s daughters reacted to the new allegations on Wednesday.

"We will not say anything negative about our father’s ex-wife," Kathy Libbers and Jackie Cushman said in a statement to ABC. "He has said before, privately and publicly, that he regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves. ABC News or other campaigns may want to talk about the past, just days before an important primary election."

Perry is not the first contender for the GOP nomination to drop out of the race this week. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman ended his bid earlier this week following a third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary. Huntsman has endorsed Romney.

 

Reach Reut Cohen here or follow her on Twitter.

 

Best way to find more great content from Neon Tommy?

Or join our email list below to enjoy the weekly Neon Tommy News Highlights.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness