DALLAS -- News of the demise of Rick Perry's presidential campaign is greatly exaggerated, those close to the campaign said Tuesday.
While low on money, an affiliated super political action committee has been hiring staff and starting a field operation in Iowa and is beefing up efforts in other early primary states.
On Friday, a day after a Republican presidential debate in which Perry didn't make the main stage, chief political consultant Jeff Miller informed the national campaign staff and those in field offices that there were no funds to pay them.
Almost all have stayed to work as volunteers, but there's no promise of how long that will last.
But those close to the campaign said it will continue.
"Rick Perry's political obituary has been written many times, and it still hasn't been published," said adviser Mark Miner, who was the chief spokesman for Perry's 2012 presidential effort. "He's going to remain optimistic. He continues to fight. He's always had a loyal, committed team around him. The end is not right now."
Miner said only one person has quit the campaign because of financial reasons.
He said the situation is similar to what Perry faced in January 2009, when he trailed Republican rival Kay Bailey Hutchison by $1 million and 25 points in the polls but went on to handily win the 2010 primary for governor.
For his presidential campaign, Perry managed to raise $1.1 million in the most recent quarter. The campaign is limited to accepting $2,700 per donor.
But the Opportunity and Freedom PAC, which is working independently to elect Perry, has raised more than $17 million in unlimited contributions. While the group is not allowed to coordinate with the campaign, it can run its own operations.
Austin Barbour, who oversees the group, said it recognized the potential of money problems for the campaign and that it is beginning its own field operations in early primary states.
Others close to the Perry campaign said the Opportunity and Freedom PAC is intending to run ads, work phones, hire workers, and promote Perry's candidacy and the issues he's advancing.
They said the situation is similar to the one faced by John McCain in the summer of 2007 when his campaign ran out of money and he lost most of his staff. McCain went on to win the Republican nomination.
Democratic political consultant Jason Stanford, who was a top aide in Chris Bell's 2006 gubernatorial challenge to Perry, said the circumstances and Perry's resume don't lend themselves to copying McCain.
"There were dramatically fewer candidates against McCain," Stanford said.
In addition, Perry is banking on a breakout debate performance to wipe out memories of his poor showings in the 2012 debates.
On Thursday, two debates were held. The prime-time contest featured the 10 top-polling candidates. Before that debate, Perry and six other candidates took the stage in the late afternoon.
In that debate, Perry was caught in the aftermath insisting he didn't identify a former president as Ronald Raven.
But Stanford pointed to Newt Gingrich's campaign four years ago as an example of how an affiliated super PAC that has millionaire donors can continue to keep a candidate afloat for many months.
"A super PAC can run a field campaign, it can put out mailers, TV ads and hire people, knocking doors. It's a zombie campaign," Stanford said.
A Section on 08/12/2015