Now Rick Perry Says He'll Attend at Least Five More Debates

Just days after signaling he might skip some of the upcoming Republican presidential debates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he will attend at least five more.

Perry campaign spokesman Ray Sullivan had said the candidate might not participate in some of upcoming debates in order to spend more time with voters in the early primary states. But Sullivan walked those suggestions back Saturday, telling the Associated Press Perry will debate in at least five more between Nov. 9 and Dec. 1.

Some of Perry's recent debate performances were widely panned, causing him to admit to journalists earlier this month, “Debates are not my strong suit.”

Sullivan said decisions on whether to attend future debates will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Perry criticized the GOP nominating process, calling 18 debates "way too many" because they require an “incredible amount of time and preparation.” Nevertheless, he confirmed he would attend the upcoming debates.

“When you take a look at the debates, I readily admit I’m not the best debater,” he said, repeating his comments from earlier this month. “With as many debates as we’ve got coming up, I may be a pretty good debater before it’s all said and done.”

Still, he said he feels confident that he could draw a clear distinction between himself and President Barack Obama if he wins the nomination.

“I think I am going to be able to stand on that stage and draw a clear contrast with Barack Obama,” he said. “We’ve got a great debater, a smooth politician, in the White House right now. That’s not what we want right now."