Sullivan was asked if Perry will run for re-election. “That is certainly a strong option, as is maybe doing this again in four years — if the President wins,” he replied. “Keep in mind that almost all of our nominees over the last 50 years have been on their second attempt at the White House. Republican voters tend to like the experienced candidates that they’ve seen for a long time. I would not rule that out.”

Republican media strategist Alex Castellanos told BuzzFeed that Perry had little choice but to get out before South Carolina Republicans cast their ballots if he ever wants to run again.

“He’ll need to do a hell of a job campaigning for Republicans around the country if he wants a ticket to the dance in 2016 or 2020,” he added. “Perry didn’t just fail to catch fire or disagree with voters on issues. The question will be, ‘Did he irreparably harm himself, by creating the impression that he doesn’t have the intellect and capacity for the job.’ That’s going to be a tough problem for Perry to fix.”