Why Rick Perry Quit the 2016 POTUS race

Rick Perry had never lost a bid for election until he first aimed for the White House in the 2012 campaign. He held the office of Governor of the State of Texas longer than anyone has and seen big successes, but the Presidential candidacy is probably the most difficult bid anyone could attempt – and the most expensive.

Perry had been doing well in the 2012 Primary when he spectacularly flamed out by flubbing a debate question. His campaign had been loudly proclaiming his intention to axe 5 federal agencies. When asked which ones, Perry could not name them all. His closing salvo “oops” was the soundbite on everyone’s lips the following day.

Voices from inside the Perry camp are blaming the cost for his early exit this time.  Perry made it clear, however, funding was not his only reason. Explaining, he said, “We have a tremendous field of candidates – probably the greatest group of men and women.” Perry continued, “I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, as long as we listen to the grassroots, listen to that cause of conservatism. If we do that, then our party will be in good hands.”

Considering he was unable to get enough backing in order to  participate in the debates, he’s probably making a good choice. Successful politics often entail timing and knowing when to move forward or back away. Perry chooses now to back away and leave this campaign to others. That doesn’t say anything about his future plans. But he’s right, there are a lot of people with strong backing ahead of him in line at the moment, and there are going to be several casualties along the way before this campaign hits the Primaries. Bowing out now removes him from all that negative association, and he can return in another race. People will remember his name, but they probably won’t think of him in any crash and burn scenarios from this campaign.

That’s more than could be said of his 2012 bid. For the last four years, Perry has been meeting with people, working hard, being less arrogant in his approach, and putting in the long hours needed to appear well-studied on the issues of the day. Unfortunately, all that work couldn’t help in the face of the sheer numbers of high-profile politicians and otherwise vying for President on the Republican ticket.

Will Perry continue to improve his standing and abilities over the next four years in preparation for 2020?  Time will tell … but now that he’s out, he can focus on what went wrong this time, with plenty of time to correct it.

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