Rick Perry cites the calendar in a statement.
Governor Perry has talked to Donald Trump in recent days and respects him and the folks at NewsMax very much. There are two debates in the next seven days.
Traditional retail campaigning in the days and weeks leading up to the Iowa caucus is the Perry campaign’s top priority. In the coming weeks, Governor Perry will be in Iowa almost continually, meeting with real voters, doing town hall meetings and events and talking American jobs, faith and overhauling Washington, D.C., to Iowa voters.
So we have respectfully declined the invitation for the Dec. 27 debate.
That's a big loss for Trump.
Now, three of the top four candidates have declined, which makes the one who hasn't (Newt Gingrich) look a touch smaller for indulging the Donald on December 27.
