The Republican field will shrink by only one candidate today. Unlike Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry has decided to hang around despite his lackluster finish in Iowa, reports the National Journal. He will stay in a Texas for a few days, head to New Hampshire—which has two debates this weekend, followed by Tuesday's primary—then roll into South Carolina.
"And the next leg of the marathon is the Palmetto State," Perry tweeted today (along with a photo of him giving a thumbs up while jogging, notes CNN). "Here we come South Carolina!!!" Voters there go to the polls on Jan. 21. Perry's decision is probably good news for Mitt Romney, observes the National Journal, because it means conservatives will continue to divide their votes, ostensibly between Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum. (More Rick Perry 2012 stories.)