Republican presidential candidate, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a campaign stop at Anderson Christian School on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, in Anderson, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)

I step aside knowing our party is in good hands,’ the former Texas governor says.

By KATIE GLUECK for POLITICO.COM

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign, becoming the first Republican to drop out of the race and kicking off the winnowing stage of the crowded GOP contest.

“We have a tremendous field—the best in a generation—so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands,” Perry said at a conservative conference in St. Louis.

The longest-serving governor in Texas history, Perry had never lost a race in his home state in his three-decades-long career, making his stumbles in the national spotlight this year, and during his ill-fated 2012 bid, all the more humbling.

As a titan in the Texas political arena, Perry entered the 2012 GOP primary as the frontrunner, only to watch his campaign implode amid a series of high-profile missteps. In an attempt at political redemption, the former governor spent close to two years traveling and studying up on policy issues in the run-up to 2016, seeking to rehabilitate his tarnished image. But the spectacular nature of his 2012 collapse proved difficult to overcome and he struggled to remain relevant. Fundraising was a challenge, and he failed to gain traction in the polls despite spending significant time in the early states, especially Iowa, and despite the assistance of a well-funded super PAC.

“I share this news with no regrets,” Perry said Friday. “It has been a privilege and an honor to travel this country, to speak with the American people about their hopes and dreams, to see a sense of optimism prevalent despite a season of cynical politics. And as I approach the next chapter in life, I do so with the love of my life by my side, Anita Perry. We have our house in the country, we have two beautiful children and two adorable grandchildren, four dogs, and the best sunset from our front porch that you could ever imagine. Life is good. And I am a blessed man.”

Perry began alerting donors and supporters as early as Thursday that he was planning to drop out, said Doug Deason, son of Texas billionaire Darwin Deason, who gave $5 million to Perry’s super PAC. The Deasons received a call from Perry on Thursday alerting them to his move, and they plan to watch the field play out further before committing.

When Perry announced his candidacy for a second time on June 4, his aides and allies said America would meet the man Texas already knew — a powerful, strategic-minded, winning politician who would be unimpeded by the post-surgery back pain that Perry has said deeply hindered him the first time around. On his second try, Perry came across as more thoughtful and serious, sometimes displaying a near-wonkish understanding of policy issues — particularly foreign policy.

But despite adding more depth to his already strong retail politicking skills and ability to deliver a fiery speech, he was never able to overcome the memories of 2012.

His near-broke campaign had been in free fall since he stopped paying his staff earlier this summer.

One particularly painful moment came last month when Perry returned to the Iowa State Fair, where four years earlier he was mobbed by cameras and fairgoers. But in 2015, cameras were few and far between, and he flipped pork chops, played ring toss and traversed the fairgrounds mostly unrecognized.

“There are people who can keep a pretty small footprint,” he said at the time, denying rumors that he would drop out of the race for lack of money. “I’m one of them.”

By this week, he was down to one paid staffer in Iowa, one in South Carolina and none in New Hampshire. He was foundering in the polls after failing to qualify for the main stage debate in the first GOP primary contest and his weak polling support had once again relegated him to the second-tier debate next week.

Even so, his super PAC effort, run by influential Mississippi Republican operative Austin Barbour, remained well-funded and was running an independent ground game on behalf of Perry in Iowa, putting him in a better organizational position than many of the other candidates who remain in the field — including Jim Gilmore and George Pataki, two former governors who have also struggled to gain attention. The relative health of his super PAC, in contrast to the gasping Perry campaign, had raised the prospect of a new presidential campaign phenomenon — a barely breathing campaign enabled by a well-stocked super PAC.

“We are obviously disappointed that Governor Perry decided to suspend his campaign because we believe strongly in his ability to lead America out of the Obama era, but support his decision,” Barbour said in a statement. “We were proud to stand with him in this campaign. We wish Gov. Perry and Anita the best.”

In a subsequent interview, Barbour said the news came as a shock — he didn’t find out until late Friday afternoon, after he finished coaching his son’s football practice.

“There were so many rumors, all of these rumors, but we were very surprised, and obviously sad, but we totally understand and respect his decision,” Barbour said Friday night. “We felt like we’d really turned the corner in Iowa, but it’s a personal decision and we totally respect it.”

After Perry’s announcement Friday, praise for his legacy quickly poured in from several other candidates, including Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Jeb Bush and Rick Santorum.

“Governor Perry has dedicated his entire life to his family, friends, and Jesus Christ,” read Rubio’s statement. “He served in the United States Air Force and as governor of Texas with distinction, and I have no doubt that his service to our nation is not over. I commend him for running an honorable, positive campaign, and wish the best to him and his family.”

Added Graham, who was often publicly chummy with Perry, “.@GovernorPerry, I’m proud to call you my friend and I wish you the best in the future.”

Perry also earned plaudits from Donald Trump, who called Perry a “terrific guy” and said he wished him well — despite Perry’s harsh prior criticism of the real estate mogul.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who served as solicitor general when Perry was in the governor’s mansion, released a lengthy statement praising Perry as a “friend,” “remarkable public servant” and “proud veteran who bravely served our nation,” and urged that others donate to two veterans’-related foundations as Cruz and his wife did on Friday.

“The entire Republican field was unquestionably made stronger by the experience and wisdom he brought to the race,” Cruz said.

With Perry — once a champion fundraiser — out of the race, the Texas senator could be the immediate beneficiary: the two will no longer be rivals for home state dollars. People close to the Cruz campaign say that a number of donors who were sitting on the sidelines out of respect for Perry would now feel comfortable throwing their support to the other Texan in the race.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/rick-perry-drops-out-presidential-race-213569#ixzz3lUboNCQK