Rick Perry has stopped paying his 2016 presidential campaign’s staff in the key early primary state of South Carolina.
Advertisement
Three aides in the Palmetto State are continuing to work for Perry in a “volunteer capacity”, but others have left amid the financial issues, said Katon Dawson, the campaign’s South Carolina director.
Former Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign is no longer paying its staff because fundraising has dried up, campaign and super PAC officials and other Republicans familiar with the operation said late Monday.
Perry ranks 12th among GOP candidates in Iowa with 2.5 percent support, according to an average of four Iowa polls by RealClearPolitics.com. The Governor is also looking forward to his trips to South Carolina this Thursday and to Iowa next week.
“As the campaign moves along, tough decisions have to be made in respect to both monetary and time related resources”, said Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashad.
Perry’s South Carolina state director, put a fearless face on the development in the interview NJ’s Shane Goldmacher, saying no changes in activities are planned and that the main members of the South Carolina Perry team – himself, Walter Whetsell and Le Frye – would continue working unpaid.
“Governor Perry is well positioned and between the campaign and independent sources, the necessary funds will be in place to run a competitive, successful campaign.”
The campaign raised only $1.1 million between April and June this year, and it had only $883,000 on hand at the end of June. He did not make the top 10 for last week’s initial GOP debate on Fox.
Advertisement
“As far as I know, we still have a plan and we’re still on track”, said Sam Clovis, the campaign’s Iowa state chairman. Instead, Ohio governor John Kasich squeezed into the bout, relegating Perry to the “happy hour” debate that took place earlier in the evening.
