(CNN) - After a last place finish in New Hampshire, a state Texas Gov. Rick Perry didn’t compete in, the candidate vowed that his campaign’s focus on South Carolina would pay off with a strong finish.
Speaking to CNN’s Piers Morgan early on Wednesday, Perry didn’t fret the latest CNN/ORC International/Time poll that shows him finishing behind four other candidates in the Palmetto state.
“The fact is that there's a lot going to happen in the next two weeks in South Carolina. People are now just starting to focus on this,” Perry said.
“South Carolina is a place where campaigns are going to be made or broken. They pick the president,” continued Perry. “South Carolinians are looking for a conservative candidate that will get this country back working again and I am it.”
Perry also continued what has become a chorus of attacks on Mitt Romney’s time at the private equity firm Bain Capital.
Many of Romney’s rivals have called into questions the companies specialized, rough-and-tumble brand of investment where, at times, firms that Bain invested in laid people off.
“There is a real difference between a venture capitalist and a vulture capitalist,” Perry said. “Venture capitalists are good… Bain Capital, on the other hand, it appears to me, were vulture capitalist all too often.”
After a disappointing fifth place finish in Iowa, Perry opted to forgo New Hampshire and head straight to South Carolina, a state that was better suited for the governor’s social conservative platform.
The South Carolina primary will be held on January 21. And even with Romney’s strong New Hampshire finish, all other contenders will join Perry in the state.
Watch Piers Morgan Live weeknights 9 p.m. ET. For the latest from Piers Morgan click here.
From CNN Politics
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All clowns,Obama 2012!!!
perry–next Rush Limbaugh will be BLASTING YOU, as he has gingrich, for your attacks on Romney and private equity firms. gingrich's attacks have not hurt Romney but they sure are making gingrich look like a vicious fool. You're next...
Oopsie perry strikes again...
Why doesn't he just give up...?
if perry does not do good in south carolina, why is he even staying in the race.
Why are you still here, Rick?
Last place Perry will be his new nickname. He can also expect to be voted out by Texans next time around because he has embarrassed himself and the state with his campaign gibberish. See ya later, Ricky.
Please just drop out
Go home, Rick. Can't you take a hint? The south does not necessarily run this. Even if they do, YOU are not what they want either. Go home and torture Texas.
One can only wonder what else Ricky would dismiss if he has dismissed the people of New Hampshire.
This liberal needs to go back to Texas and let illegals in UT and A&M and leave the rest of alone.
Perry is going to need some kind of miracle to win in South Carolina. He may have some money, but does he have the organization and someone to keep his foot out of his mouth? That could be a deciding factor. Someone said that there are too many choices for the social conservatives to split their vote on and could lead to a Romney win by default. I'd rather see Santorum challenge Romney than Perry. At least with Santorum, he doesn't come off as being of questionable intelligence.