Republican hopeful Rick Perry received no sympathy from LGBT advocates on Thursday after he announced that he giving up a presidential campaign renowned for its demonization of gay people.
Trailing in the polls — even in the socially conservative state of South Carolina where the primary will be held Saturday — Perry told supporters in North Charleston, S.C.., he was ending his bid for the White House and throwing his support behind former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“As I’ve contemplated the future of this campaign, I have to come to the conclusion that there is no viable path forward for me in this 2012 campaign,” Perry said. “Therefore, today, I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president of the United States.”
Perry called Gingrich a “conservative visionary who can transform our country.”
In likely reference to Gingrich’s marital infidelities, Perry said Gingrich is “not perfect,” adding “there is forgiveness for those who seek God, and I believe in power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my Christian faith.”
But the thrice-married Gingrich came under additional scrutiny following Perry’s exit on Thursday when media outlets published interviews with Marianne Gingrich, his second wife, who said the former House speaker had asked her for an open marriage.
Perry’s exit and new support for Gingrich could give the former House speaker a fighting chance in South Carolina, where the candidate has been encroaching on Romney in the polls.
The three-term Texas bows out of the presidential race after heavily courting the evangelical vote and espousing anti-gay positions throughout his presidential campaign.
The unofficial kick-off of his campaign took place in August at controversial day of prayer called “The Response” that was attended by an estimated 30,000 people. The event was reportedly financed by the anti-gay American Family Association.
Upon officially entering the presidential race, Perry signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage committing himself to back a U.S. constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. During in a speech New Hampshire, he praised efforts to repeal the same-sex marriage law in the state.
But Perry began pulling out the stops with anti-gay campaign tactics when fell from his status as front-runner to the bottom of the pack after poor debate performances and a series of gaffes — most notably when he forgot during a debate the third in a group of departments that he would eliminate as president.
In a Iowa TV ad called “Strong,” which was widely circulated on the Internet, in which Perry says, “There’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”
Perry also criticized President Obama’s decision to require his administration to have more active engagement against anti-gay human rights abuses, saying the act was an example of ”an administration at war with people of faith in this country.” The candidate also riled LGBT advocates when he said during a CNN interview he would “absolutely” reinstate “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” if elected president.
Filed under: National Headlines, Top Stories
Damn right he doesn’t have any LGBTQ sympathy!! He is such a flagrant homophobe and LGBTQ hater.
good ridance
thank whatever god there is that he’s gone
Happy Trails ya Creep!!
Ding dong, the witch is dead.
Rick Santorum should be next to leave.
YAY!
Which old witch? Rick Perry.
And Newt GinGRINCH too!! He’s such an immoral pig point his fat finger at everyone else. He’s disgusting!
bye
It would be best Ummesalmah, of all the Republican candidates dropped out of the presidental race.
Don’t fret guys, there are still plenty of stupid things coming out of the mouths of the other candidates.
They all are reason i’m most likely NOT voting this yr. I see nothing good about any of them!
Another bigot bites the dust…Apparently God DOES exist…
GOOD HE’S GONE. Fuck yeah.
One down four to go.
One douchebag down, two to go. Scrotorum should be next so we can laugh at Gingrich a little while longer.
I think Romney as president would be a social experiment. One minute he’s for Gay Rights the next he’s against it. And now he’s against it again. Look out world he’s hitting the campaign trail with his flip flops on again.
You should vote just not for them !!!
So long bitch.
Creepy idiot!
cya rick
WOO HOO!
Goodbye ~!
Best thing he’s done so far!
Adios, don’t let the door hit you where the Dark Lord split ya!
thank god that farmer from close to my home town droped out
…just wish he would go away, far away from Texas….maybe he could follow S. Palin’s lead and quit as gov. of TX…. it’s past time!
Nananana nananana hey hey hey goodbye!
Like he had any sympathy or empathy for us!
Peace out NIGGA!!
I’m ashamed to call this asswipe the governor of my state….>.<
Wait…the title of this article implies he had our sympathy in the FIRST damn place! Good riddance. These guys need to go fuck off somewhere.
Amen one less biggot running for president!!! i am not impressed with his track record as govenor!!! but still fells as i always have i will vote again when they give me my full rights as a human!!
No that would be the SUPER PAC 0h my bad that is how REPUBLICANS do their money laundring!
Hasta la vista, Rick
Now if we can get rid of Romney and Gingrich: We’ll be alright
Buh bye jackass.
Dont forget Santorum Jacquelyne!
Rick Perry said he would send American troops back into Iraq, now that he’s is going away I say it was the American people that sent him back into Texas.
Like if anybody was really going to vote for him to be President.
Is it to much to hope that he stays away and we never have to hear from him again?
HALLELU.
surprised he didn’t say that god told him to leave, god probably did tell him to leave and said “you are a loser, get out before i really do something drastic…”
good riddance to bad rubbish…
Ever since he said he’d send the troops back to Iraq, it was obvious that he would never get the vote, especially from the military families.
yay!
YES!! 2 down!!!!!
Good. Americans aren’t as stupid as the Bush Years lead me to believe.
hes a drag and should dress so
Best news I’ve heard all day!
Happy trails, douche bag!
see ya wouldnt want to be ya!
“— Perry told supporters in North Charleston, S.C.”…..???? what was he doing in North Chareston???? that town is Historically Black…..he has NO supporters there.
“— Perry told supporters in North Charleston, S.C.”…..???? what was he doing in North Charleston???? that town is Historically Black…..he has NO supporters there.
Good riddance!
buh and then bye!
wonders when incriminating photos will surface about him
well of course, he gets no simpathy from me non whatsoever.
I lie about the state I’m in because of him -.-
Good riddance!!!
Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.
aw. poor rock has dropped out of the race. my heart pumps purple piss for ya, ricky.
Well one down…
perry, santorum, fat gingrich, romney, and that ugly fat ass, anti-gay, so called, pastor from Washington State are all a bunch of sick clowns. Put them all on a leaky boat and send them to iran. The preacher can be their cook.