Wesley Donehue sends me this release today:
SC Senator and Key Supporter of Rick Perry Urges Withdraw
January 16, 2011 – Berkeley, SC – Today, conservative Tea Party favorite, SC Senator Larry Grooms withdrew his support for Governor Rick Perry and urged the Governor to withdraw his candidacy for President of the United States.
“I was there when Governor Perry made his announcement in Charleston and had tremendously high hopes for a Perry Presidency. I still believe he would be a great national leader, but campaigns are tough and early mistakes and missed opportunities have taken their toll. Now is the time to get out and pass the baton to another leader that can take the message to the next level.”
“With only days to go before the South Carolina Primary, it is apparent that Governor Perry cannot win and has no viable strategy in moving forward. Remaining in the race at this point only serves to steer votes away from viable candidates.”
“The history of our primary teaches us that when conservatives split, big government wins. Now is the time for us to reevaluate our choices and coalesce around a single candidate.” Grooms points to the fact that Mike Huckabee may have been the Republican nominee four years ago if his candidate, Fred Thompson had withdrawn prior the SC Primary vote. “Thompson’s candidacy split off enough conservatives to ensure a McCain victory. I do not want to see history repeat itself.”
Senator Larry Grooms is recognized as a social and economic conservative and has received numerous leadership awards from groups such the Palmetto Family Research Council, SC Taxpayers Association and the SC Club for Growth. A champion of educational choice, fiscal and tax reform measures, Grooms is the author of the new SC Immigration Reform Law.
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And of course, my question is, so who’s he backing? Because the implication is that he wants people to rally ’round Romney. Apparently, that’s not the case, and he’s going to tell us whom he IS endorsing tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Meanwhile, Nancy Mace, who is Sen. Tom Davis’ consultant, tells me that three Upstate senators will announce, at the State House at 10 a.m., that they are endorsing Ron Paul.
All of this follows up on the decision by Huntsman to drop out, and the endorsement of Rick Santorum by a coalition of evangelical leaders over the weekend.
A lot of currents and countercurrents. And note that in all this last-minute decision-making and mind-changing, the only person I’ve heard converting to the Romney cause is Jon Huntsman. Maybe Romney should have been more grateful for that.
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Hmm–my first thought was not that he was backing Romney, but that he was backing anybody but, hence the urgency for the withdrawal of likely loser Perry.
Perhaps. Maybe you’re better at thinking like Larry Grooms than I am.
Sometimes I forget how genuinely alarmed these people get at the prospect of moderation. They find it a threat — and perhaps it is, to them.
Moderation is the slippery slope to [gasp] liberalism!
Hey! I thought I told you folks to watch your language on this blog!
I would have thought someone would have tried to convince Colin Powell to run. Maybe another, electable, candidate will jump in after the SC primary has passed.
The only thing Romney does have is 1) he is a moderate (though an extreme flip-flopper), and 2) Haley would like him to sweep her off to Washington, DC.
Come join me in live-blogging this debate… https://bradwarthen.com/?p=14643
Not sure it’s worth wasting any more electronic ink on Rick Perry. He’s been done for at least a month now.