Perry welcomes Sarah Palin not running for president
10-05-2011
After Sarah Palin announced that she is not running for president Republican insiders say 2012 GOP field is now set. It now looks to be a case of the centrist former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney versus whichever of the more conservative candidates who can challenge him. Texas Governor Rick Perry, in particular, will be breathing a sigh of relief because a Palin run might have further eaten into his support already shrinking.
Some analysts said Palin might have drawn significant conservative support, especially in Iowa. If so, she might have split that constituency with Perry, Cain, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and others, possibly giving Romney a chance to win the caucus.
Others felt Perry benefits from Palin's decision because it helps him portray himself as the best-known conservative alternative to Romney. Republican adviser Matt Mackowiak said Romney benefits from Christie's decision, and Perry benefits from Palin's, so it's "a wash."
In a statement, Perry called Palin "a good friend, a great American and a true patriot." "I respect her decision and know she will continue to be a strong voice for conservative values and needed change in Washington," he said.
According to a new CBS News poll, Herman Cain has moved into a tie with Mitt Romney atop the field of Republican presidential candidates, while Rick Perry has fallen 11 percentage points in just two weeks. The poll shows Cain, who stood at just five percent support two weeks ago, now holding 17 percent support among Republican primary voters. That puts the former Godfather's Pizza CEO into a tie with Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, whose support has essentially held steady over the past two weeks.
Perry, meanwhile, has dropped from 23 percent support to just 12 percent support over the past two weeks, a sign that the Texas governor's shaky debate performances - in which he has alienated portions of both the Republican base and the party establishment - have taken their toll.
Voting in the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary will start in about three months.
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