Rick Perry used his speech before 700 people at Phyllis Schlafly’s Eagle Forum convention in St. Louis to announce he is suspending his campaign for President. Many in the audience gasped, and several people told me they regretted his decision because he had run a much better prepared campaign than he had in 2012.
But the overhang from his 2012 campaign (especially the infamous “Oops” moment during a key debate) hung heavy over his second effort. The entry of Senator Ted Cruz, a fellow Texan, also didn’t help as it drained attention away from Perry’s 14-year record of accomplishment as governor. But the final blow to his race this year can be summed up in one word: Trump. An analysis this week by Real Clear Politics concluded that Perry had been most hurt of all of the candidates as Trump’s flamboyant entry and rhetoric stole away his supporters. Perhaps that explains his parting shot today against candidates he said put “personality over principle” in seeking the presidency.
Perry’s departure from the race will have an immediate effect on the CNN debate at the Reagan Library next week. With 11 candidates qualifying for the main debate at 8 p.m. Eastern, there will now be only four candidates to share the stage at the secondary “kiddie table” debate that immediately precedes it: Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham.