E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
In the latest evidence that Newt Gingrich isn’t exiting the GOP race anytime soon, the former House speaker ended a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with his backers in Congress poised to push ahead with his campaign, possibly through the June 5 primary in California.
When he sat down this week with 10 of the 11 lawmakers who have endorsed him, each of them took turns offering their assessment of the health of the Gingrich candidacy. While some of the lawmakers expressed misgivings about the toll his continuing in the race would take on the eventual Republican nominee, none of them called on Gingrich to drop out.
Four of the attendees, who spoke with NBCPolitics.com, said that Gingrich's interest in staying in the race is driven by a desire to advance certain policy proposals in the primary and general elections.
“We believe that Newt staying in there is very helpful to the conservative cause,” said Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, who was among the attendees. “I think Newt was realistic and saying there is a path.”
Still, Kingston added, “He didn't use the word longshot, but it's difficult.”
Gingrich reached the apex of his political strength this primary season when he won South Carolina’s influential primary on Jan. 21.
Time Magazine's W Michael Crowley, Communication Strategist Jill Zuckman and Democratic pollster Fred Yang discuss the latest on Newt Gingrich and the 2012 field.
But in the two months since that point, the ex-speaker, pummeled by negative ads in Florida and succeeding primary states, has seen his support once again hit the bottom. He finished a distant third in Louisiana’s primary; Rick Santorum, who’s assumed the role of Mitt Romney’s chief conservative alternative, won that caucus.
Not having won another primary besides the Super Tuesday contest in Georgia -- the state which elected Gingrich to Congress -- the campaign has struggled to regain any momentum. Gingrich laid off a third of his staff this week and severely curtailed travel, prompting political observers to wonder when he would finally drop out.
“I encouraged him to do what he feels is in his heart he has to do,” said Texas Rep. Michael Burgess, who attended the gathering.
But to hear the members of Congress who attended the meeting describe its outcome, Gingrich appears no closer to ending his candidacy.
“We kind of came to a collective conclusion that there were still some significant goals and objectives that could be achieved by him maintaining his place in the race," said Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, another participant in the meeting.
Related: Gingrich axes third of staff, cuts travel
In addition to Kingston, Burgess and Franks, another seven congress members attended: Reps. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., Austin Scott, R-Ga., Tom Price, R-Ga., Joe Barton, R-Texas, Dan Burton, R-Ind., and Dan Lungren, R-Calif.
The outstanding question now is not whether Newt will be the nominee, but rather, when will he exit the race, and how much collateral damage will have been done to the Republican nominee when Gingrich does drop out.
Those who did attend described a campaign that is realistic that its odds of winning the nomination are especially long. But, unless Romney were to begin regularly steamrolling his primary opponents in upcoming contests, the lawmakers said Gingrich was likely to stay in the race until the May 29 primary in Texas (where he has the endorsement of Gov. Rick Perry), or the primary a week later in California.
“I think the endgame is that we won't know what it's going to be until after Texas,” said one of the Republicans who went to the meeting, who was granted anonymity to speak more candidly about the closed-door huddle.
“I still think he's got a shot in Texas,” added that lawmaker, who noted that the slower pace of forthcoming primaries might allow Gingrich to conserve resources and survive through those contests.
But the former speaker still faces significant hurdles, not least of which was the public warning by Sheldon Adelson -- the casino magnate who’s primarily financed a supportive super PAC -- that Gingrich was “at the end of his line.”
Top Talkers: A new CNN/ORC poll shows that President Obama besting both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in general election match-ups and in favorability ratings. The Morning Joe panel discusses the numbers and Romney's net negative in favorability ratings.
A significant factor in Gingrich’s thinking involves whether his continued presence in the race would harm the party, or even his own political legacy.
Gingrich remains a prominent figure in the conservative movement despite the fizzling of his campaign.
If his candidacy were to stretch to the point where it hurts the party, it could threaten the generosity of conservative donors, on whose largesse Gingrich’s private endeavors sometimes depend.
The speaker’s sense was that if he were to leave the race, the media coverage he’s gained as a candidate would evaporate. By staying in the race, one of the lawmakers present said, Gingrich believes he “would have a great opportunity to drive some planks of the platform,” especially as it relates to some pet issues on health care, science and national security.
But the congressmen also said that Gingrich understood the long odds posed by the math, and described the speaker’s understanding that Santorum’s position in the race has made it difficult to challenge Romney one-on-one.
Moreover, Romney continues to amass delegates and prominent endorsements, most recently on Wednesday from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who said he backed Romney in part to forestall a messy convention fight -- the type Gingrich would need to orchestrate to make good on those long odds of becoming the Republican nominee.
“If you talk to people in the conference, you've got some people who want it over. You've got some people who have people in the race and want to see them do better,” said Westmoreland, a supporter of Gingrich. “Kind of a mixed bag, but I do think it would be nice to have your nominee on the same page as we are with our agenda. Trying to nail that down has been kind of hard.”
“The one thing that is there is, whoever our nominee is, they're going to have 242 people behind him,” he added.
Leave a Comment:
I can say newt knows nothin about a real job he has been a politician all his life -and its truely sad someone like him continues to make a livin cheatin women etc and wont even help out his own party to drop out not alone america but if hes thrown out into the real world as gopers say he fails big time continue to suport this idiot if you may but trutfully i think he knows he would of won the gop nomination if it wasnt for the romney attack machine and he attacks the romney with his his final gasp at politics and destroys the patry with a 3rd party run but hopefully he realises the independants hate him too and it wont work-newt face it no one likkes you get out and quit embarrrisin the gop
VERMIN SUPREME 2012
wwhos vermin supreme?
The future president of the United States of America.
Brother Newt,
Stay in the race bro! There is no way in hell that the RINO "Reversible Mittens" can beat Barack Obama.
If Mittens gets the nomination I will not donate to the GOP and I will write your name on my ballot. If that's the case.....screw it and let Odumbo take it away.
Newt 2012!
newt face it your an embarrasement to the party a 12 pm or later speech is all you get thanks to you most likely obama has a 10 times better chance of gettin elected thanks but no thanks
truthfuly newt those sayin you should stay in are either obama supportes or romney supporters let romney win this on his own unless you fill like slick rick obama is better than romney runnin do you feel that way too?
Run Newt run! Of course you still have a chance, just like Marquette might still win the NCAA Championship on Monday night.
Any body but Barry the Muslim in Chief and his Chicago hacks combined with the never had a real nob academics that he loves.
Money!!! You can't insult these guys,but you can expose them. Running for president of the u.s. is a lucrative ENTERPISE! Where do you think the money that's left-over from running a losing campaign goes? Mike Huckabee walked away w/ in the excess of 6 million dollars to do pretty much what he pleases with! Newt and Santorum will do the same. The drums of doom continue to beat for a once great nation and society;the end is near!
Tend to agree you Bewildered. Government political office is business as opposed to public service. All that campaign money means high paying jobs for your girlfriend of the moment, wife, asst family memebers and friends. Of course, should you get elected, $175,000 year, all you can steal, any book you can write, any consulting fees you can get (read influence peddling) any campaign contributions you can get (read bribes), any lobbyist job you can land and on and on, and still plenty left over for your girlfriend(s), wife, family, business, etc. Yes, it is huge big business. Too much to turn down simply because your an influence peddler with all the morals of an alley cat.
Brianb999431: You can not assasinate the character of someone with no character. And I really have to love the "keep your mouth shut if you don't care about someone". I am guessing that would be like the right wing never talks about President Obama. Hypocrites'. And would you pass that on to your buddy Newt. I am quite cetain that he does not care about any of the people he lies about, and calls names. So please get Newt to follow your rules. And then you can heed your own advice. As I am quite certain you do not care about Liberals then by your standards you should "Just shut up".Your words not mine.
Newt cannot win. He has only won two states. He is still in because he does not have anything better to do. I am enjoying the GOP circus, so I don't care that he wants to stay in. If people want to waste there time listing to him go ahead. Romeny is the candidate. Romeny is going to lose against Obama.
Obama 2010!!
Newt knows that Newt can't win and it got nothing to do w/ it.
Please stay in Newt; don't let them force you out. Fight to the bitter end...this way you can help assure the demise of Romney, Santorum, and Paul. Just hang in there Newt; I'll send a dollar to your campaign.
Uh, huh, uh huh huh huh....
Newt your ego is in the way, you had your 15 minutes, now get out of the way of progress.
We have members of Congress who think Newt winning the nomination could be a longshot. They were elected. Those are Newt's kind of voters.
The conservative cause is not being advanced by Newt. Newt's quest for bigger speaking fees is being advanced by Newt. There will be no contested Convention. If he really wants to advance the "conservative cause", he should step down and let Santorum stand alone as the anti-Romney (who has sewn up the nomination anyway).
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Newt's not gonna leave any money on the table, it's the only reason he's there! About a dozen of his old, long-time cronies from capital hill endorsing him? And those one's don't have the huevos to say more than "uhh yeah,we're for Newt;sorta! How pathetic! How dispecable! What has happened to us?
Now that Newt has downsized his campaign staff for the umpteenth time, it is rumored that his #1 campaign contributor Sheldon Adelson has also taken the bull by the horns. At his casinos the very minimum at some of the blackjack tables has been raised from $10 to $25. Also Newt has tossed around the idea to his wife Callista that she shop more at Family Dollar and less at Saks Fifth Avenue. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't they also sell hairspray at Family Dollar??????? Another major cost savings!!!!!!!
Newt , pull that stick out of your ass and turn that frown upside down , Sunshine ! This guy , is , and always has been a loser with a big ego . He's not going to win a Presidential election now, or ever .
Newt's vanity bears a resembance to: ralph kramden . Just Goggle that & enjoy.
Since the republiturds/ 'baggernuts are in such lousy shape, racist, thrice-married, certified man-whore--Newtie Tootie, is gonna try to regain some (Heh! Heh!) "glory" and a position of (pathetic)power within the republiturd party, for himself and Calista. No s'prise, there.
BTW: Obama/Biden juggernaut wins in 2012! No doubt!!
Newt no one is commenting on this article that ought to tell you something...they've already forgotten about you!!
HOOORAY!!! More funny fodder for late night!!!
Time for Newt to mount the treadmill. Does he not have a mirror in his bathroom? Oops, I forgot, Miss America stays poised in front of it lest a hair fall out of place. I envision the two of them eventually becoming comic book heroes. It could be hilarious!
The G mans been drinking the coolaid.
Newt and Santorum were viciously attacted in Mitts TV ads, and now their out for blood and only care about ruining Mitt. As a Democrat I thank them.
Yes, Newt still has a hard on for his party about getting thrown under the bus by his Canabilistic R-wingers that are known to eat their own you know. Yes after "W" fuc*ed up so much during his tenure that the Supreme Beings handed down in "W" vs Gore the ruling to "Select" him to please their handlers. That's why "W" is laying low so as not to rile (piss off) the entire nation once more as to even the memory of him. Yes ol Newt is going to throw all the sh*t in their game that he can whilst making more money & fame doing so." "W is the reason they lost their asses the last time they got thrown out.