In a shocking announcement, Rick Perry told the world that he is stepping down from his race for the presidential seat, which means he is, in effect, terminating his run for the White House.

The former Governor for Texas, and the longest running, made the announcement to a group of conservative activists that he will no longer be in the running for presidency on Friday, September 11 at St. Louis' Eagle Forum.

The news shocked thousands of supporters and naysayers alike.

Perry seemed prepared to share his decision that "some things have become clear" with a rapt audience:

"We have a tremendous field of candidates - probably the greatest group of men and women. I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, as long as we listen to the grassroots, listen to that cause of conservatism. If we do that, then our party will be in good hands, "

Perry initially announced his campaign on June 4, 2015. In August, however, he had to cut his staff due to poor fundraising.

Despite his plans to receive assistance from an allied super PAC, he couldn't make it in the tight White House race and ended up in the second-stage debates.

This was Perry's second try for the Republican presidential nomination. Four year ago, he fell out of the running when he made a crucial mistake at a GOP debate.

Since that first failure, Perry worked hard to regain his image. He donned glasses, traveled all around America advertising how Texas created jobs and worked with policy experts and top donors to run for the top seat again.

Ultimately, however, none of Perry's efforts were enough and he became the first major presidential candidate to drop out of the 2016 race.