The mass exodus of Newt Gingrich's top campaign team Thursday, including a pair of Rick Perry loyalists, fueled speculation that the Texas governor might be moving ever closer to a race for the White House.
Perry's longtime political strategist, Dave Carney, and the governor's former campaign manager, Rob Johnson, were among members of Gingrich's political staff who quit the former House speaker's foundering campaign.
Carney signed up with Gingrich earlier this year amid public assurances by Perry that he would not run for president. But with some Republicans dissatisfied with the GOP field, the governor recently told reporters he would "think about" it once the legislative session ends.
Carney was in Austin, Texas, this week and had lunch with a top Perry ally. The governor's spokesman, Mark Miner, declined to say whether Carney had met with Perry, but said the two regularly meet when Carney is in town.
"Dave has always been the governor's political consultant, so he never went anywhere," Miner said.
Miner insisted that "nothing has changed'' as a result of Thursday's events. ``Gov. Perry is thinking about it, as he thinks about a lot of things."
In an email, Carney said the departure is unrelated to Perry. As for Johnson, it was unclear whether he would return to work for Perry.
Perry associates say that Perry's wife, Anita, and two children want him to run for the White House, as do a number of allies and informal advisers, but that the governor remains uncommitted.
Although he has reportedly talked with some big-dollar supporters and other Republicans, there's little evidence Perry has assembled any of the formal architecture of a campaign, from transportation to making grassroots contacts in early primary states and lining up a strong donor list to fund the race.
Officials said Gingrich was informed that his entire high command was quitting in a meeting at his headquarters in Washington. They cited differences over the direction of the campaign.
"We had a different vision for victory," press spokesman Rick Tyler told The Associated Press. He said Gingrich, who just returned from a Greek cruise, was not allowing enough time to campaign in key states.
In a statement on Facebook, Gingrich said he intended to continue his campaign for president.
The departure of workers included not only those in the main campaign office but also in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which raised the possibility among Texas political observers that they could serve as a ready-made campaign staff should Perry choose to run. Carney, for example, was specifically hired by Gingrich for New Hampshire.
Perry's longtime political strategist, Dave Carney, and the governor's former campaign manager, Rob Johnson, were among members of Gingrich's political staff who quit the former House speaker's foundering campaign.
Carney signed up with Gingrich earlier this year amid public assurances by Perry that he would not run for president. But with some Republicans dissatisfied with the GOP field, the governor recently told reporters he would "think about" it once the legislative session ends.
Carney was in Austin, Texas, this week and had lunch with a top Perry ally. The governor's spokesman, Mark Miner, declined to say whether Carney had met with Perry, but said the two regularly meet when Carney is in town.
"Dave has always been the governor's political consultant, so he never went anywhere," Miner said.
Miner insisted that "nothing has changed'' as a result of Thursday's events. ``Gov. Perry is thinking about it, as he thinks about a lot of things."
Perry associates say that Perry's wife, Anita, and two children want him to run for the White House, as do a number of allies and informal advisers, but that the governor remains uncommitted.
Although he has reportedly talked with some big-dollar supporters and other Republicans, there's little evidence Perry has assembled any of the formal architecture of a campaign, from transportation to making grassroots contacts in early primary states and lining up a strong donor list to fund the race.
Officials said Gingrich was informed that his entire high command was quitting in a meeting at his headquarters in Washington. They cited differences over the direction of the campaign.
"We had a different vision for victory," press spokesman Rick Tyler told The Associated Press. He said Gingrich, who just returned from a Greek cruise, was not allowing enough time to campaign in key states.
In a statement on Facebook, Gingrich said he intended to continue his campaign for president.
The departure of workers included not only those in the main campaign office but also in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which raised the possibility among Texas political observers that they could serve as a ready-made campaign staff should Perry choose to run. Carney, for example, was specifically hired by Gingrich for New Hampshire.