The Slatest

Rick Perry Is “Suspending” His Campaign, i.e., Quitting the 2016 Race

Rick Perry eating a vegetarian corn dog at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 15, 2011.

Handsome Texan and would-be 2016 Republican presidential nominee Rick Perry is polling at around 0.8 percent nationally, 0.8 percent in Iowa, and 1 percent in New Hampshire. He’s also apparently running out of money. So:

According to remarks prepared for delivery at the Eagle Forum in St. Louis that were released by his campaign, Perry will say deep financial problems have left him with limited staffing in several key states.

“That is why today I am suspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States,” he will say.

That’s from CNN.

Presidential candidates say they are “suspending” their campaign instead of ending it because it allows them to receive federal matching funds if they raise more money (money that can be used, say, to pay debts). It also sounds better than saying “I’m dropping out because I’ve failed.”

Today, Rick Perry’s fancy new-look glasses are the glasses of defeat.