Perry returns to Texas to rethink his campaign.

Rick Perry said tonight he will "return to Texas" after tonight's fifth-place finish in Iowa to "determine whether there is a path forward for myself in this race."

"With a little prayer and reflection I'm gonna decide the best path forward," Perry said after garnering only 10% of the vote in the Iowa Republican caucuses.

Perry, who did not enter the race until August, told a group of supporters he had never had the desire to be president, but decided to jump into the contest because "our country was in trouble."

"It was my duty to serve my country one more time," Perry said in what sounded very much like a valedictory.

Despite his late start, many observers saw Perry as a strong contender for the Republican nomination, given his experience as governor of Texas and his strong fundraising network.

It didn't work out that way, particularly as Perry stumbled through a series of debate performances.

The most famous: Perry's "oops" moment in which he forgot the name of one of the federal departments he planned to close.

In his speech late Tuesday, Perry told backers: "I wanna tell you, there has been no greater joy in my life than to be able to share with the people of Iowa and of this country that there is a model to take this country forward and it is in the great state of Texas."

In Texas, Perry is a former legislator, agriculture commissioner, and lieutenant governor who ascended to the governor's chair when George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000.

Until Tuesday, Perry had never lost an election.

Earlier in the day, Perry had vowed to press on even if he finished fifth - and had discussed making a campaign appearance in South Carolina on Wednesday.

"It's a marathon - it's not a sprint," Perry said on CNN.