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Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry declined Thursday to participate in the Newsmax ION Television 2012 Presidential Debate moderated by real estate magnate Donald Trump scheduled Dec. 27 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Perry's campaign said in a statement the Texas governor wanted to focus on the Iowa caucuses.
"Governor Perry has talked to Donald Trump in recent days and respects him and the folks at Newsmax very much. There two debates in the next 7 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, Gov. 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, DC to Iowa voters."
GOP frontunner Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum have both agreed to participate in the debate. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney declined earlier in the week without giving specific reasons. Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman have declined, and Michele Bachmann said this morning she is still thinking about participating.
However, several major conservative groups and leaders have vocally endorsed the debate throughout the week.
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