Back in August, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his candidacy for president at the RedState Gathering in Charleston, South Carolina. Today, RedState’s editor Erick Erickson is calling for Perry to drop out and play “kingmaker” before the South Carolina primary.
“If Rick Perry stays in the race,” Erickson blogged, “conservatives opposed to Mitt Romney will be legitimately able to blame Rick Perry for dragging down either Newt or Santorum. ”
Erickson — one of the most prominent conservative bloggers in the nation — also argued that it would make little sense for Perry to endorse Rick Santorum (it would “fly in the face of the limited government principles he outlines both on the campaign trail and in his national bestseller Fed Up!“).
Erickson ultimately concluded that Newt’s The One, writing: “With Newt Gingrich surging according to the latest Rasmussen poll and Sarah Palin saying she’d support him, Perry’s withdrawal and endorsement before Saturday could ensure a Gingrich win.”
The bottom line, according to Erickson, is this: “Either Rick Perry will leave the race Sunday with no political capital and no deposit of goodwill an endorsement would bring, or he will choose to strike one final blow for limited government conservatism.”
If Perry drops out, things will have truly come full circle. Perry started his campaign with a bang at the RedState Gathering in South Carolina. And he could end it there — either with a whimper — or with another bang.