Rick Perry stays in presidential race, says it ‘wasn’t a hard decision’

(By Jason Embry, Statesman.com) - Gov. Rick Perry said today he will continue his presidential campaign despite a fifth-place showing in the Tuesday Iowa caucuses and serious questions about whether he can continue. “I re-assessed,” Perry said as he left his West Des Moines hotel at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. “We’re headed to New Hampshire and South Carolina.” Perry surprised the political world - and many of his advisers - when he Tweeted this morning that he would stay in the race. His Tweet included a photo from his morning jog.

“I was out on the trail when it kind of came to me,” Perry said.

Perry has scrapped campaign events over the next couple of days in South Carolina but will take part in two weekend debates in New Hampshire. He is unlikely to do well in New Hampshire’s primary next week, so he will instead focus on South Carolina’s Jan. 21 primary.