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Subscribe to RSSNewt Gingrich's bid for the White House seems to have hit a rough patch, financially speaking. The 2012 candidate and former house speaker is laying off roughly a third of his campaign staff, is replacing his campaign manager and cutting back on travel. The Morning Joe panel discusses.
WASHINGTON, DC — Newt Gingrich's campaign is laying off a third of its paid staff, replacing its campaign manager, and lightening the campaign schedule as he continues with poor finishes in elections and is receiving little incoming money for his campaign.
“The campaign is being redesigned to focus on Tampa,” campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC News.
News of the cutbacks were first reported by Politico Tuesday evening.
Michael Krull, an Iowan and college friend of Gingrich’s wife, Callista, who took over as campaign manager shortly after most of Gingrich’s original staff ditched him last summer, agreed to resign his position last weekend. Now, Vince Haley, the current deputy campaign manager and policy director, will assume the role.
Hammond refused to comment on what other staff were let go, saying “he will not discuss personnel matters.”
Gingrich’s campaign has been struggling to stay afloat financially for several weeks — posting slightly more debt than cash on hand in the last FEC filing for February. The former House Speaker, though, continues to promise he will go all the way to the Republican convention in Tampa this August unless another candidate obtains all 1,144 delegates beforehand.
Asked earlier today while campaigning in Maryland if he realistically has enough money to last him until the summer, Gingrich said he does.
“The money is very tight obviously,” he told reporters outside the state house.
The speaker even alluded to this apparent staff shake up, as well.
When asked by reporter in Annapolis this morning if he was asking his staff to take pay cuts, Gingrich said: “Well we're working through what it is going to take to get there [to the convention] and I think probably Joe DeSantis or R.C. will have something to say about that in the next day or two.”
Gingrich typically holds anywhere from three to five public campaign events a day but on Wednesday, Gingrich only has one public event scheduled in Washington, D.C. This trend will continue for the campaign as they begin to lighten the number of events.
Communications director Joe DeSantis tells NBC News as far as cutting back travel, “You will see Newt spend longer stretches of time in key states rather than bouncing from state to state.”
The speaker was originally scheduled to spend Wednesday in North Carolina but then cancelled the trip just yesterday.
These shakeups will undoubtedly increase speculation and calls for Gingrich to exit the GOP race. He has only won two states — his home state of Georgia and South Carolina — and is trailing both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in the delegate count.
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Newt knows he doesn't have a chance but if he drops out he may not get a prime time speech at the convention. By staying in he can have his last few minutes in the sun before he fades into oblivion watching his party select someone else to represent them in November.
Gingrich is a typical REPUBLICAN and as all REPUBLICANS... his attitude is to work an employee to death, pay them very little, no benefits and hope that the employee dies when Gingrich feels they are not productive anymore.
Come on Newt use up that last penny of campaign money already and get lost with your woman. You will never and I repeat never going to be calling the white house home. I hope to never see you at any seat in Washington, just wonder how long #3 will stay with you when you are finally out of politics.
The saddest part about American politics is that it always comes down to money. You don't have to be a better candidate than your opponent, you just have to financially outlast him. How is the average man ever going to be represented if everyone we send up to the D.C. is a millionaire or soon to become one?
So Newts sugar-daddy isn't springing for more money to Newt? Too bad all he's given Newt so far has gone to waste. All that could have gone toward something really good.
So for the most part were down to one Evangelical Wacko and one Undesireable who doesn't know what countries are our enemies!
Right now, Newt is staying in the race for the same reason Ron Paul is, to get their message out for as long as they can so what better way can they get their exposure than during a Primary. Does anyone think Newt has anything better to do with himself at this point?
What Newt should do is cut the "head" off this campaign and not put us through anymore of his B/S.
Dee Patroit
Only pub that had a message was Ron Paul but wasn't any support from the pub hehe "leadership"..
Idiot republician party consultants, only prayer they had was with Ron Paul who could have grabbed a slice of the left and the center besides his own followers. But was deemed not sexy enough, or young enough, Ron Paul was only one that put any scare into Obamba's camp.but they are right to relax pubs too dumb...hehe instead they went with Mitt "meltdommy" Romney as their golden boy...it's all over pub contributors don't waste another dime..
Poor Newt, the only thing more pathetic is Ron Paul supporters ! Romney is going all the way and not going to take the Teaparty with him!
Why stay in a race when you have NO chance or shot at the nomination seems futile.
Why?
He was so sure that a trophy wife would win him the White House! I was looking forward to President Newt waving a magic wand and making gasoline permanently $2.50. a gallon, and to his ego expanding to the point where it would make his fat head just explode. Talk about oblivious, in denial, and clueless, this disgraced former Senator is doing everything he can to finish the destruction of his reputation and the current incarnation of the GOP
There are always those left in the kitchen at the end of the night refusing to believe the party's over. Closing time Newt.
He needs to axe himself from the race.
ITs sounds like Newt Likes to fire people. and Romney knows how to be frugal when necessary. and thus far he has not had to cut back. well Rick is just a winner of the loosing kind.
Romney likes to fire people. He said it.
Oh yeah, I forgot. If I'm such an imbecile and moron with no idea what's up with the president's evil doings, why do you jackasses collapse all my comments? It's ok... I'm determined to get the message out because I love my country. Peace out and goodnight!
Oh, holy crap! What a surprise! I guess my previous post was already deleted by Soros.
If you dumb ass liberals going to re-elect your mutt parody of the president again, then you deserve the Nazi state which you will get.
Newt still has a "staff?" I didn't even know he was still in the race.
Between Rick talking God and Romney talking Economy there is no place for Newt. He tried, by saying things like "Obama is the most dangerous president", but that didn't quite work either. Time to go home.
The smart thing to do at this time is to simply bow out....then again this is Newt.
Newt - what happened?? My sister is So Carolina voted for him, gave $$$ to his campaign, told her she was wasting it. The guy is "in the business" of running, he has no real job!
Cost too much money for Callista's helmet hairdo...lol
@theresa. since Michelle is big hipped and french fry swallowing, what do you say about Calista and that helmet hairdo and how she got it??? Dipped in concrete?