Texas Governor Rick Perry didn't have a great week.
A poorly reviewed debate on Thursday night, then straw poll losses in Florida (where Perry tried to win) and Michigan (where he would have lost no matter how well he did in the debate) provided a disappointing weekend.
The Perry campaign continues to say it's early- that there's plenty of time to fix things that need to be fixed. That's true. But there are a couple of things outside the campaign's control that could make things difficult.
New Candidates:
Gov. Perry jumped into the GOP campaign late - but quickly rose to the top of the pack. Now that polls and perception have him sliding off the top of the heap a bit - there are calls for another "New" candidate.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been a favorite of some to run for President since about 10 minutes after he won the governor's race in November of 2009. He's also consistently said he's not running…although that's changed just a bit recently.
If Christie were to get into the race, many pundits think he'd jump into the top three pretty quickly.
Oh yeah, and then there's former GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin. Her supporters are still watching and waiting, although time is running out.
If she did jump into the race, she could steal some of Rick Perry's Tea Party support.
Starting the Comeback:
You're only as good - and as bad - as your last debate. And Gov. Perry has a chance to deliver a better debate performance on October 11th in New Hampshire.
Although winning the state's primary may not be in the cards for Perry, a good debate there could help him win back or solidify support in states like Iowa and South Carolina.
He can also erase what some thought was a bad moment when he sidestepped a question on "where was his jobs plan for America?" All he has to do is release a plan. So far no word on when that might happen.
And finally - the Presidential candidates must submit new fundraising totals to the Federal Election Commission Friday. Those reports will show how well Perry has been able to fundraise in his first weeks in the race.
A strong showing there could go a long way towards erasing bad memories at the Orlando debate - and the Florida and Michigan straw polls.
