After Hinting at Campaign’s End, Perry’s Full Court Press for South Carolina

Texas Governor Rick Perry is now continuing on with his run for the GOP nomination for presidency, just hours after saying he was going to take time to "reassess" the campaign.

Perry placed a distant fifth in Iowa's caucuses Wednesday night and said he was going to return to Texas "to determine whether there is a path forward" for his White House bid after he finished a distant fifth in the Iowa caucuses." Many in the political universe took that to mean he was likely going to drop out, having sagged in poll ratings after an initial surge at the top of the polls when he jumped in the race in August.

He then sent a tweet Wednesday morning that read, "Here we come South Carolina!!!" causing much confusion about the direction of the campaign. Attached to the tweet was a photo of Perry smiling while on a jog in front of a lake, giving a thumbs up. Campaign aides told Fox after the tweet that they weren't sure what it meant.

But then later, a source said, "He is taking two days off, that he deserves, then to NH for debates, then full court press in SC starting Sunday afternoon."

Reportedly the campaign was also spreading the message to staffers on a conference call Wednesday morning saying that Perry would decide in the next day or two what he would do with the race, according to the Associated Press. Later Wednesday, Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan released an official statement saying, "He's a conservative fighter who believes his unmatched jobs record, conservative fiscal and social policies and status as the only Washington and establishment outsider in the race will get American back on the right track."

South Carolina's primary is January 21, but most candidates are focusing on New Hampshire's which is next Tuesday.

Perry got emotional in his Caucus night speech Tuesday saying, "I want to tell you, there's been no greater joy in my life than to be able to share with the people of Iowa and this country that there is a model to take this country forward and it is in the great state of Texas."

He acknowledged the struggles his campaign has had. The governor was initially scheduled to head to South Carolina Wednesday, but apparently decided put all of that on hold Tuesday night.

"The votes are the votes, and we're still early in the night so we'll wait and see in the morning what it looks like," he said on Fox News Tuesday night.

A campaign source tells FOX that Perry's wife Anita was key to the decision to keep campaigning. She has been pushing for Perry to stay on through South Carolina.

Lexi Stemple contributed to this story.