After quick assessment, Perry says he’ll campaign in South Carolina

In a quick turnabout following a disappointing result in the Iowa caucuses, Rick Perry vowed Wednesday to continue his bid for the Republican nomination by campaigning in South Carolina.

The Texas governor had said just hours earlier that would return home, rather than go to South Carolina as planned, to “assess the results of tonight’s caucus, [and] determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race.”

That assessment apparently did not take long.

Perry tweeted a photo of himself giving a thumbs up after what looked to be a morning jog, along with this message: “And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State...Here we come South Carolina!!!”

Perry’s decision is, at least in the short run, a boon for Romney. It continues the splintering on the right and makes a Romney victory in South Carolina -- which would effectively end the race -- more possible.

However, if Perry can pull off a miracle comeback in the Palmetto State, it would not only breathe life into his candidacy. It would also set the stage for a do-or-die showdown in Florida, where Romney has been organizing and advertising but remains vulnerable.

Perry was not helped by the way he ended in Iowa, with a fairly downbeat speech and unexpected return to Texas, suggesting his heart wasn’t in it. Also, he never showed an ability to recover in Iowa, despite massive spending and a closing push of retail campaigning.

Perry is not expected to perform well, or campaign much at all in the next nominating state, New Hampshire. But he was initially slated to attend a pair of debates there on Saturday night and Sunday morning.