Rick Perry has withdrawn from GOP primary race, and has endorsed Newt Gingrich as the Republican nominee best able to take on President Obama in the November 2012 presidential election.

The Texas governor ended his campaign at a news conference in North Charleston, S.C., where the remaining primary candidates are due to participate in a televised debate later tonight.

"As a Texan, I’ve never shied away from a fight," Perry said. "[But] I know when it’s time to make a strategic retreat."

Rick Perry has been one of the most headline-catching and entertaining candidates on the GOP campaign trail.

The onetime Republican frontrunner repeatedly hurt his own campaign efforts through gaffes like forgetting the U.S. voting age and his infamous "oops moment" during the Nov. 9 Republican debate.

Below, relive Rick Perry's ten best (worst) moments during the GOP race, from the backlash he received for his Christmastime "Strong" ad to his insisting that Turkey is run by "Islamic terrorists."

10. "You can always follow me on Tweeter."

Like us on Facebook

Make that "Twitter." Skip forward to 2:30 to see the flub.

9. Rick Perry Doesn't Know What a Decade Is:

Perry mistakenly says that Woodrow Wilson was President in the late '90s and early 2000s.

8. "We fought the [American] Revolution in the 16th Century."

As with the Amendment (see above), Perry seems to have trouble when the number 16.

7. Rick Perry Doesn't Know Voting Age, Election Day:

"Those of you who will be 21 by November the 12th, I ask for your support."

6. GOP Candidate Flubs Supreme Court Question:

After calling Sonia Sotomayer "Montemayor," Perry insisted that there are eight Supreme Court justices, not nine.

5. Turkey Run By "Islamic Terrorists":

Terrorism: premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents.

4. Mitt Romney to Rick Perry: "Nice Try."

Perry's "before he was... before" moment.

3. Perry Thinks Solyndra is a Country... And Says It Wrong.

Rick Perry believes that Solyndra, the solar power company that went under in 2011, is actually a country. And according to some witnesses at the campaign event, he also believes that this nation is called "Solynda."

2. "When Gays Can Serve Openly in the Military, But Our Kids Can't Openly Celebrate Christmas."

Perry's infamous "Strong" ad premiered in early December. It has since spawned numerous parodies, including a "Rick Perry Unpopular Opinions" gif.

1. Rick Perry's Infamous "Oops" Moment:

The Republican candidate forgets the third government agency he would cut in this incredibly uncomfortable segment from the GOP debates.

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