In Quick Turnaround, Perry Headed to South Carolina

January 4, 2012 11:08 am by: KUT Staff

Photo accompanying tweet by Gov. Rick Perry indicating he's pressing on in his GOP presidential bid. Image courtesy Team Rick Perry.

UPDATE 11:55 a.m.:  KUT’s Matt Largey with the Perry campaign in West Des Moines, IA reports that Governor Rick Perry has confirmed that he will stay in the Republican presidential race through the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.

By Emily Ramshaw, Texas Tribune

Despite a disappointing fifth place finish in Tuesday night’s Iowa caucuses that led Rick Perry to say he was returning home to Texas to reassess his candidacy, the Texas governor surprised everyone — including some of his own staff — by tweeting that he was headed to the Palmetto State.

“Next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State,” Perry tweeted, posting a picture of himself in jogging gear giving two thumbs up. “Here we come South Carolina!!!”

Perry’s son Griffin Perry followed up with his own tweet confirming his father’s intentions. “See y’all next week in Carolina! I expect all my SEC brethren to come out in force,” the younger Perry tweeted.

The news sent political pundits, who had all but assumed Perry was dropping out of the race, spinning. It also clearly confused some of Perry’s campaign staff, many of whom were en route from Iowa to Austin.

“We are all scrambling,” one staffer wrote in a text message.