Rich donors keep Perry, other GOP hopefuls in race

Weakened candidates in the largest Republican presidential field in decades could survive the Darwinian nominating contest longer than party officials wanted thanks to mega-donors like Darwin Deason.

The Dallas technology tycoon and other well-heeled donors have kept Rick Perry’s campaign afloat despite it going broke. The millions they’ve poured into super PACs supporting the former Texas governor are now covering voter outreach in Iowa and other essential tasks as Perry’s campaign goes into a second week without paid staff.

Perry’s continued presence in the race despite the financial challenges of his official campaign apparatus is the first signal that the natural selection process of the past may not thin the 2016 field anytime soon, despite national Republican efforts to avoid the drawn-out primary that injured Mitt Romney going into the 2012 general election.

“Super PACs can help you stay in the race,” said Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa. “It’s going to be more difficult, because of the sheer number of candidates to peel off.”

Perry stopped paying his staffers Friday after posting meager fundraising figures — collecting $1.1 million compared with the super PACs’ $17 million haul — and failing to gain enough support in the polls to make the main stage of the GOP debate.

The Perry campaign has said nearly all of its dozens of staffers at Austin headquarters and in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have stayed on as volunteers, committed to seeing the governor through.

While donations to candidates are limited to $2,700 during the primaries, super PACs can collect unlimited amounts of money due to a 2010 Supreme Court decision. Since their deployment in the 2012 presidential election, their influence has grown as political operatives have become more skilled at using them and wealthy donors have opened their checkbooks.

The Republican National Committee shortened this year’s primary calendar to avoid what happened in 2012: different winners in each of the first three state contests and no clear nominee until May. The uncertainty delayed Romney from focusing his attention on challenging President Obama and contributed to his defeat, establishment Republicans believed.

“We don’t want a six-month slice-and-dice festival in our party” in 2016, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said after the rule changes. “It’s not good for picking a president. It’s not good for our party.”

However, with 17 candidates this season, and super PACs stuffed with cash backing many of them, there could be plenty of slice-and-dice in store.

The 2012 rise and fall of candidates hurt the party most because each attacked Romney, the presumptive nominee, as they sought to rise, Hagle said.

“If the (2016) primary turns out to be extremely contentious, it can really hurt a candidate come that general election,” he said.

But Austin Barbour, senior adviser to the pro-Perry super PACs, said he’s not concerned about the GOP’s attempts to avoid a prolonged nominating fight.

“My focus is on Rick Perry. My focus is on communicating with voters in these early states,” he said. “We’re not thinking about a shortened schedule.”

Barbour said that Perry could follow in the footsteps of a 2012 candidate that surged unexpectedly. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum came from behind to win the Iowa caucuses with the help of a flush super PAC funded by multimillionaire Foster Friess.

“The way this process is working right now is very, very fluid,” Barbour said. “Senator Santorum came on heavy in January ... This could be a scenario where Rick Perry or someone else comes on really late and wins or has a top two or three showing” in the early states.

For now, Barbour said the super PACs are concentrating on voter contact in Iowa, with the possibility of expanding to New Hampshire and South Carolina later. They have hired an Iowa state director and deputy state director, who will be announced soon, with more hires in the works.

And since news broke of the campaign’s struggles, spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said in an email, “we’ve seen an uptick in fundraising and in support online,” though she didn’t provide figures.

Barbour said time is on Perry’s side.

“His favorable numbers are still very high. ... He has a great track record,” Barbour said. “We’re going to continue to be very patient on this.”

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