Rick Perry endorses Romney

Texas Gov. Rick Perry endorsed likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney Wednesday after campaign aides to Newt Gingrich, whom he endorsed earlier, confirmed he plans to end his bid next week.

Perry, who also ran for the nomination but ended his campaign in January, said in a statement, "Mitt Romney has earned the Republican presidential nomination through hard work, a strong organization, and a disciplined message of restoring America after nearly four years of failed, job-killing policies from President Obama and his administration.

"...Mitt's vision and record of private-sector success will put America back on the path of job creation, economic opportunity and limited government."

Perry endorsed Gingrich after he ended his own presidential bid just days before the South Carolina primary. At the time, he said Gingrich was a "conservative visionary who can transform the future of our country." The former House speaker won South Carolina but his campaign largely faltered after that. He won just one additional primary, his home state of Georgia, and his campaign announced Wednesday that he would suspend his candidacy as early as next week.

At the start of his campaign for the nomination in August, Perry appeared to be Romney's biggest threat and was a frequent critic of the Massachusetts governor on the campaign trail. Perry famously attacked Romney as a "vulture capitalist" and said he destroyed jobs for personal gain while at the helm of Bain Capital.