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MONTGOMERY, AL -- Wins in both Alabama and Mississippi next week are essential for Newt Gingrich to stay credible in the 2012 presidential race, his campaign spokesman acknowledged Wednesday.
“A big win in Georgia kept us in the race. Big wins in Alabama and Mississippi will add even more fuel to the tank,” Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters.
The former House Speaker himself continued to raise expectations in the Yellowhammer State.
“I believe Alabama has a major role to play in setting the stage for the presidential nomination,” Gingrich told the crowd here during his first event post-Super Tuesday where he only placed higher than third in one of eleven states.
While Gingrich is still running second in delegate count as of this morning, according to NBC News, with 111 delegates [Mitt Romney 339; Santorum 107], many people, including his competitors, question how he can continue on much longer without actually winning more states. The Speaker has only won South Carolina and Georgia.
The campaign feels it is so essential to focus on these two states, where voters take to the polls on March 13, that they will skip campaigning in Kansas.
After sending out a press schedule just yesterday with the subject line: “Newt and Callista Gingrich Announce Campaign Stops in Kansas,” Hammond told reporters Wednesday morning there has been a change in schedule.
“Gingrich," he said, "will be here in Alabama and Mississippi."
The former Speaker’s attendance at the six scheduled campaign appearances in all four of Kansas’s congressional districts have been cancelled, including a Newt 2012 Big 12 Tournament Basketball Watch Party.
The move to not campaign in Kansas, although the campaign says it will still utilize resources there, is in line with Gingrich’s Southern strategy.
“Everything from Spartanburg all the way to Texas, they all need to go for Gingrich,” Hammond said.
Gingrich placed third in both the Tennessee and Oklahoma primaries Tuesday but has high hopes next week in Alabama and Mississippi.
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As opposed to Virginia, which wasn't even worth getting on the ballot for?
Here's for Newt losing at least one of those states! Then he would leave the race, go back to Georgia and only leave his home state for occasional trips to Tiffany's.
Of course, it would give us a chance to see just how powerful teapartiers and evangelists are in the republican party. It would be fun to see Ricky lock horns with Mittens all by himself!
Newt's got to get the Good Ol' Boys, Red Neck and Hillbilly vote or he's sunk. End of Story.
(In my best, southern belle drawl) Excuse me, Mr. Gingrich, but ya'all know you really going to have to win ALL them there primary states (and their delegates) to stands a snowball's chance of coming close to the nomination. Maybe you should just get yourself a plate of fried grits and fried green tomatas and stick with selling your reading material and movies.
Why isn't the media directing this attention at Ron Paul? Ron Paul has yet to win a state and has approximately 30 delegates, which is around 1/4 of the delegates held by Gingrich and Santorum. Ron Paul was suppose to do well in the caucus states, but with the exception of Maine, he has placed a distant 2nd or even 3rd.
Heck Greg,
For Ron Paul, running for president is a hobby, although he should seriously consider collecting stamps instead. He also hopes to further his son's career. He has the same bigoted, pointless, ridiculous agenda as Dad. He has not a snowball's chance to ever become president. I am pretty sure I would never see either one of these doctors as a patient. Too loony for me!
At this point, I would not believe that Ron Paul is in the Republican primaries to actually become the GOP Presidential candidate. However, by being in the race, his message is getting out there. Ron Paul has been talking about reducing the size of the federal government all his political life. It is only recently that the rest of the world has come to realize that we really are spending too much.
Love him or hate him, he has not changed his tune in the 30+ years he's been in Congress. He is also one of the few Congressmen who vote what they believe. I know he's a RINO, but in his part of Texas, there is no other party.
Wayne,
Ron Paul is a bigot? How so?
Phine, "Bless His Heart" wooda sufficed, thats how Southeners doit!
You Betcha!
Occupy SoggyBottom!
Just google "Ron Paul bigot" and see what comes up. He has made some interesting word choices in his newsletters for instance.
Gingrich does need those states to stay credible in the race. Not the race for the nomination, which he's already lost, but definitely for the race for second place and the catbird seat in 2016.
Honestly, I do not see Newt Gingrich being any more credible and likable in 2016 than he is now. My guess is that in 2016, there will be no "catbird" seat for the GOP.
There's a race for second place? If you mean the VP spot, there's no way either Romney or Santorum is letting him on their ticket. And the "catbird seat for 2016"? By then Gingrich is going to have been out of government for what - 17 or 18 years? He'll also be 73 years old. If that's the best the GOP can come up with in 2016 then things are looking even better for the Democrats than I thought!
Well if there is Newt won't be in it or any of the clown posse that is currently running. They're way to conservative socially. In other words they need to lighten up, a lot.
Newt's shooting for a cushy commentator job with Faux or one of the other MSMs.
For the GOP to be consider serious they need to stop listening to the loones on the far right and move back to the right of center.
The VP pick is only advantageous if Romney wins the general election, and then it's value is for 2020. If Romney loses, then the "next in line" status generally goes to whoever finished second in the primary this year. It doesn't guarantee them the nomination, but it does buy them a lot of free press and political capital with the party for the next election cycle, and I suspect that would be of even greater value to Gingrich than another shot at the presidency.
Stay credible? When was Gingrich ever credible? Maybe for a few desperate seconds when voters were grasping for an alternative to Romney, but the Establishment put a kabash on that dream.
You said it, Amy. The rise and fall of knights in shining armor made everyone dizzy.
The fact that Gingrich is running a poor third in a four-horse race says volumes about his credibility.
Dear Newt,
It's already over for you.
Sincerely,
America
Newt's philosophy...As goes South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama so goes the nation. A strategy he wants us to believe will pan out..QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!
Noid-Really no really...Didn't Obama say that the other day different subject. Gotta love these losers.
I love it when Newt says: "in a Gingrich administration etc etc". As if there is a snowballs chance ... On a more serious note: How did someone who looks like him get ,at least, three different women to have sex with him?
Gingrich is just bitter that he doesn't have the money that Romney has and Romney has already convinced the poorest states of the union he's there man. Money will alway buy the stupid voters.