Perry Stakes Campaign on SC

In effort to regain traction on the campaign trail, Texas Gov. Rick Perry left New Hampshire days before the nation's first primary to attempt to stake a claim in South Carolina.

The Texas governor has a busy week planned in the Palmetto State, leading up to the “First in the South” GOP Primary on Jan. 21 with stops scheduled in the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry. 

On Monday he began the day with a stop in Anderson at Mama Penn’s diner followed by a walking tour of Pickens. Then it was off to the First Monday Club luncheon at the Poinsett club in Greenville with one last stop scheduled for the evening at Stax restaurant in Greenville.

During his visit to the small town of Pickens, Perry made several stops including Garren’s Café, a local favorite.

Owner Jerry Black said he was glad to see the governor make the decision to stay in the race.

As for Perry’s chances in the Palmetto State?

“I hope they’re good, we need conservative people in Washington,”  Black said.   “He’s one of the few that I trust with running government.”

After a poor showing in the Iowa Caucus, Perry returned to his home state to rethink his campaign and cancelled several SC events last week. Once a frontrunner, Perry is struggling to remain relevant in a tumultuous primary contest, but his supporters still think he has a chance in South Carolina.

Monday afternoon Perry addressed a large group at the Poinsett Club in Greenville and made his case for the need of a leader with his values and convictions. Perry also continued to stress the need for an "outsider" in Washington, D.C. 

Former S.C. State Rep. Rex Rice said all he knew of Perry before Monday was what he saw in the media, and he was not very impressed.

“I was very impressed with his speech today and very likely will go on his campaign,” Rice said.

“I saw something today that I hadn’t seen before and if he can get that message out, and it’s going to take a lot of one-on-one to do that, I think staying in the race was important and I think he made the right decision."

Others, like Dacusville resident Henry Wilson, didn’t agree.

“I wasn’t looking forward to him staying in the race since he didn’t do so well in the primary in Iowa,” he said. “I had hoped he would drop out just like Michelle Bachmann did.”

“But obviously he may do well here in South Carolina, maybe third or fourth."

Perry released a new commercial in the state on Friday that focused on his “values” rather than policy positions. The Texas governor continued to highlight his upbringing and values focus during his visit to the Upstate on Monday, but Wilson thinks it could be too little too late.

“He’s going to have to be very aggressive to differentiate himself from Rick Santorum’s footprint,” Wilson said. “The brand Rick Santorum has built in South Carolina over a long, long time.”

Adria Krull of Pickens said she hasn’t made up her mind yet but that she has begun to take a stronger look at Perry these days.

“I like that he says that he’s a conservative by conviction, and not by convenience,” Krull said. “I like that he stands for life, and jobs of course.”

With just 12 days remaining until the S.C. primary, Perry has a lot of ground to cover to get the message out.

Perry’s state campaign manager Katon Dawson said the race isn’t over yet and the results in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests are of no concern to the campaign.

“South Carolina Republicans are not going to let Iowa or New Hampshire Republicans choose the candidate for president, South Carolina does,” Dawson said. 

“Right now we’re going to have our say,” Dawson said. “This is a conservative God-fearing state and the Governor has had a warm reception from everybody.”

Is Perry’s message being heard? Dawson thinks so.

He told Patch that the governor shares the values of the people of South Carolina and his record on job creation will be another asset when voters take to the polls in less than two weeks.

Debbie Ellison, a teacher for the Quest Program at Pickens Elementary School, said the governor is still a possibility in her mind.

“I really like his Christian conservative values,” said Ellison, who said she still hasn’t made up her mind.

“Right now I’m wavering between the three R’s- Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Rick Perry."

Although Mitt Romney continues to lead the way in polls, the general consensus remains that anything can happen in South Carolina.

“It’s very hard to predict,” Ellison said. “Mitt Romney is in the lead, but South Carolinians make their own decisions.”