Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider: One In, One Out in GOP Race

From Des Moines, Iowa -?

The day after the Iowa Caucus, there was still a lot of news in the streets of Des Moines, as one Republican hopeful bowed out of the race for the White House while another decided to stay in the game.

Getting out was Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota Congresswoman who just never could recapture the excitement of her first two months in the race from mid-June to mid-August, when she was able to capture the Iowa Straw Poll.

"The people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so, I have decided to stand aside," Bachmann said in a statement to reporters at a downtown Des Moines hotel.

Just as Bachmann was making her statement, I glanced up on my computer screen to write something on Twitter and saw a post by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, which indicated he isn't following Bachmann out - not yet.

"And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State...Here we come South Carolina!!!" Perry tweeted, attaching a link to a photo of him on what looked like a cold weather jog, giving the thumbs up to the camera.

On Tuesday night, Perry had said he would go back to Texas and re-evaluate his bid for the White House - twelve hours later, his answer is that he is staying in, though Perry won't do much in New Hampshire as he will focus on South Carolina, which votes on January 21.

With Perry now staying in the race through South Carolina, that could put a dent in possible support for Rick Santorum, who looked like he might be able to grab support once destined for Bachmann and Perry in the Palmetto State.

Still, Perry comes out of Iowa with little excitement, while Santorum arrives in the Granite State with a big boost from his eight vote loss to Mitt Romney.

Whether Santorum can cash in on that over the next week is unclear; he will certainly be trying to expand his reach in South Carolina, always a pivotal state for the GOP nomination.

Source: http://www.krmg.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2012/jan/04/one-one-out-gop-race/

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