US Elections: Then there were four -Perry quits race for White House Published on Thursday 19 January 2012 20:22 Texas governor Rick Perry is to pull out of the Republican presidential contest, reports say. It came on the liveliest day of campaigning so far, with Mitt Romney's victory in the Iowa caucus snatched away on a recount and a US television network airing an explosive interview with the former wife of rival candidate Newt Gingrich. Mr Perry's decision, three days after former Utah governor Jon Huntsman withdrew and endorsed Mr Romney, was seen by analysts as a strategic move to stall the latter's momentum ahead of tomorrow's South Carolina primary. At a press conference in Charleston, Mr Perry said that he saw "no viable path forward for me in this contest," after disappointing results in the two elections to date. He failed to recover from a gaffe two months ago, in which he froze during a debate on live television. Instead, he urged supporters to back Mr Gingrich, currently running second to Mr Romney in the South Carolina opinion polls but closing rapidly. "We need bold conservative leadership," he said. I believe Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country. We've had our differences and Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? Newt has the heart of a conservative reformer, the ability to rally and captivate the conservative movement. Mr Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, said he was "honoured and humbled" by Mr Perry's words, calling him a "great patriot." Until yesterday, it was widely believed Mr Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, could lock up his party's nomination with a third successive victory after earlier wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. But that outcome is far from certain after Mr Perry's sudden endorsement of Mr Gingrich and a surprise declaration from officials in Iowa that Mr Romney was not, after all, their winner. Instead, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, who originally finished eight votes behind in the 3 January caucus, was certified to be 34 votes ahead. But with ballot papers from eight precincts missing, there is no official victor. While the figures have little significance, the announcement took some of the wind from Mr Romney's sails. Mr Santorum wasted little time exploiting the news, his spokesman Hogan Gidley telling CNN his boss was "very excited." The narrative for a long time has been that Mitt Romney was 2-0. If these results are true and Rick is ahead by 34 votes, then that's not the narrative any more. There have been two states, two different victors. Mr Gingrich, meanwhile, was facing troubles of his own. In an interview aired on ABC News last night, Marianne Gingrich, who divorced her husband in 2000 after a 19-year marriage, said he was an unsuitable candidate to face President Barack Obama for the White House in November. Accusing him of "lacking moral fibre," she claimed her then husband wanted to share her with another woman, after she discovered his six-year affair with an aide called Callista, now his third wife. "He wanted an open marriage and I refused," she said. "I just stared at him, and he just said, "Callista doesn't care what I do."" Mr Gingrich's two daughters from his first marriage, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman, said in a statement their father "regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves," but added that no family member would talk about the claims. Only Texas congressman Ron Paul, the fourth and last of the remaining candidates, managed to stay away from the headlines yesterday. He was appearing at campaign rallies in South Carolina, trying to improve on his third place in the opinion polls. Mr Perry said he was "leaving the trail to return to Texas with pride," but he will be regretting the moment in November which effectively sabotaged his campaign. At a televised debate in Michigan, he was asked to identify the three federal agencies he said he would axe to save money. He named commerce and education before stammering for almost a minute to recall the third. "Oops," he said, when he realised he could not. Later, he told reporters: "I'm glad I had my boots on because I really stepped in it tonight." A spokesman for Iowa governor Terry Branstad tweeted at the time: "Rick Perry just lost the debate. And the entire election. He will endorse Newt Gingrich, according to Republican officials. Perry will announce the decision in South Carolina today. He has faced calls to drop out of the race as polls show him trailing while Gingrich gains momemtum.