GOP’s Perry stops paying SC campaign staff

Rick Perry’s presidential campaign has stopped paying all of its staff as the Republican former Texas governor’s fundraising has dried up, campaign officials and other Republicans familiar with the operation said late Monday. But in the meantime, employees at the national headquarters in Austin, as well as in the early caucus and primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, are going without paychecks. “Right now, we’re working in a volunteer capacity, proud to be doing it. Our field staff is working today, I just met with them an hour ago”. Barbour said his group was on the verge of inking an experienced field team there, including a Des Moines-based state director and deputy that would probably work from Iowa City.

Perry announced his second bid for the presidency in June and pundits predicted an uphill slog although he appears stronger than in 2012.

But Perry doesn’t have to throw in the towel just yet. Instead, he and other low-polling candidates unveiled their policy positions at a forum ahead of the prime-time event. By January, Perry had dropped a hefty $1 million on lawyers to file appeals and bury the charge deep within the legal system because he was considering a run for 2016. The campaign has raised only $1.07 million, a far cry from GOP juggernauts like former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Donations to individual candidates cannot exceed $2,700 but super PACs can receive unlimited amounts. Warren also happens to be the finance chairman of Perry’s campaign, and in February the former governor landed a spot on the board of Warren’s company, Energy Transfer Partners. Barbour said he’s prepared to hire staff in other early primary states, if necessary. “We know the governor is going to have a breakout opportunity”. But “I can say that he’s worked pretty assiduously to try to get up to speed on the issues this time”. But Barbour suggested that this was a predictable turn, and that pro-Perry super PACs had been preparing to step in. Haley’s brother Jeppie is also a major player within Republican circles in the south. “It’s the beginning of the end for his campaign”.

The campaign is scaling down its expenditures to bare essentials – commercial plane tickets and hotel rooms for the candidate and an aide or two – and hoping for a breakthrough moment, perhaps in a September 16 debate, that could boost fundraising, the Washington Post said.