Hyatt Place
North
Charleston, SC
January
19,
2012
[prepared remarks]
Thank you. As I have stated numerous times on the campaign trail, this
campaign has never been about the candidates.
I ran for President because I love America, our people and our
freedom.
But the mission is greater than the man.
As I have traveled across this great country: from New Hampshire
to California, from Iowa to Florida, and to numerous states in between,
I have discovered a tremendous purpose and resiliency in our
people.
They have never lost hope despite current circumstances.
They haven't stopped believing in the promise of America or the
American Dream.
Americans are down, but we can never be counted out. We are too
great a people.
What is broken in America is not our people, but our
politics.
And what we need is a Washington that is humbler, with a federal
government that is smaller so our people can live freer.
I entered this campaign offering a unique perspective: a governor
who has led a large state leading the nation in job creation, an
executive leader who has implemented conservative policies, a son of
tenant farmers born with little more than a good name, but who has
experienced the great possibilities of freedom.
But I have never believed that the cause of conservatism is
embodied by any one individual.
Our party, and the conservative philosophy, transcends any one
individual.
It is a movement of ideas that are greater than any one of us, and
that will live beyond our years.
As a former Air Force pilot, I know we can't lose track of the
ultimate objective in carrying out our mission, and that objective is
not only to defeat President Obama, but to replace him with a
conservative leader who will bring about real change.
Our country is hurting with more than 13 million unemployed,
nearly 50 million on food stamps and a debt of more than $15 trillion
and growing.
We need bold, conservative leadership that will take on the
entrenched interests and give the American People their country back.
I have always believed the mission is greater than the man.
As I have contemplated the future of this campaign, I have come to
the conclusion that there is no viable path to victory for my candidacy
in 2012.
Therefore, today I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt
Gingrich for president.
I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our
country.
We have had our differences, which campaigns inevitably bring out.
And Newt is not perfect, but who among us is?
The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God and I
believe in the power of redemption, for it is a central tenet of my own
Christian faith.
And I have no question Newt Gingrich has the heart of a
conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the
conservative movement and the courage to tell the Washington interests
to take a hike if it's what is best for the country.
As a Texan, I have never shied away from a good fight, especially
when the cause was right.
But as someone who has always admired a great Texas forefather --
Sam Houston -- I know when it is time for a "strategic retreat."
So I will leave the trail, return home to Texas and wind down my
2012 campaign organization. And I will do so with pride knowing I
gave myself fully to a cause worthy of our country.
And as I head home, I do so with the love of my life by my side, a
woman who makes every day a good one when she is by my side, my wife
Anita.
Thank you Anita for all you have done.
I also want to thank my son Griffin, my daughter Sydney, and my
daughter-in-law Meredith for standing with us in this great effort.
With a good wife, three wonderful children, and a loving God in my
life, things will be good no matter what the future holds.
I'm proud of the policies we put forward to the American people
and believe they provide the right path forward for our party and our
nation: overhauling Washington and returning power to state and local
governments and to the people, creating energy jobs and energy
security, cutting spending and eliminating unnecessary federal agencies
and cutting taxes to a flat, fair 20 percent.
And I will continue to fight for these conservative reforms
because the future of our country is at stake and the road we are
traveling today - President Obama's road - endangers our future.
I want to thank some wonderful individuals who have stood by my
side in this state: Katon Dawson, Ambassador Wilkins, and a strong and
good man serving you in Congress, Mick Mulvaney.
I want to thank all my supporters from across the country, in
particular Governor Bobby Jindal, Steve Forbes and Governor Sam
Brownback, as well as Senator Jim Inhofe, Congresswoman Candice Miller
and Congressman Sam Graves.
And I want to say a special thanks to three distinguished veterans
who have joined me on the campaign trail: Medal of Honor awardee and
Navy SEAL Mike Thornton, Navy Cross recipient Marcus Luttrell and
Purple Heart recipient, Marine Captain Dan Moran.
I began this race with a sense of calling.
I felt led into this arena to fight for the future of this
country.
I feel no different today than I did then, knowing a calling never
guarantees a particular destination, but a journey that tests one's
faith and character.
So now the journey leads us back to Texas, neither discouraged nor
disenchanted, but instead rewarded for the experience and resolute to
remain in the arena and in the service of a great nation.
Our country needs bold leadership and a real transformation.
We must rise to the occasion and elect a conservative champion to
put our nation back on the right track.
And this I know, I am not done fighting for the cause of
conservatism. In fact I have only begun to fight.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.
Beaufort, SC - Newt Gingrich released the following statement
responding to Governor Rick Perry's suspension of his campaign and
endorsement of Gingrich and withdrawal from the race.
“I am humbled and honored to have the support of my friend Rick
Perry. His selflessness is yet another demonstration of his deep
sense of citizenship and commitment to the cause of limited government,
historic American values and greater freedom for every American.
“Governor Perry will continue to be a leader for the cause of
conservatism, especially for more American energy and for implementing
the 10th Amendment across the country.
“South Carolinians have a chance this Saturday to nominate a bold
Reagan conservative who will offer a dramatic contrast with President
Obama this fall in the general election.
“I ask the supporters of Governor Perry to look at my record of
balancing the budget, cutting spending, reforming welfare, and enacting
pro-growth policies to create millions of new jobs and humbly ask for
their vote.”