Gingrich taps Rick Perry on campaign trail in Arizona

by Alicia M. Cohn - 02/22/12 6:50 PM ET

Rick Perry will campaign with Newt Gingrich and attend the GOP debate in Arizona on Wednesday, according to reports. It will be the Texas governor’s first public appearance with Gingrich since he dropped out of the GOP race and endorsed him last month.

Perry dropped his presidential bid in mid-January, endorsing Gingrich just days before the South Carolina primary. Gingrich won the vote in the state, but has since fallen behind the other GOP candidates in the polls and has failed to win any other nominating contests.

{mosads}Perry’s appearance with Gingrich in Arizona is his first major campaign event for the former House speaker, but he has made fundraising calls on Gingrich’s behalf from Texas.

Perry told the Texas Tribune earlier this week that he had a “great time” running for president. Addressing speculation that he will either run for reelection for a fourth term as governor of Texas or make another bid for the White House, Perry said he was leaning toward running for reelection.

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“If I had to make a decision today, I’d say, yeah, absolutely,” he said. “I’m going to give it consideration. But again, it’s way early.”

The CNN-hosted debate Wednesday night in Mesa, Ariz., is the first GOP debate in a month, and the last before Super Tuesday, when multiple states vote.

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