Rick Perry's campaign, in the past two hours, has started buying TV time in South Carolina, two sources confirm.
The size of the buy was not immediately clear, but the intent was. It's a signal Perry is planning to stay in the race through the state's primary later this month, and that he'll treat Iowa as what one source called "the starting gun," as opposed to the finish line.
While Gov. Nikki Haley is backing Mitt Romney, South Carolina is a state where Perry has had a fairly strong ground game. And given how low the expectations have been set for him, if he secures a close fourth-place finish, he may be able to spin it into a path forward for the rest of the month.