Romney rolls through Nevada, Newt fights on

With back-to-back victories to his name, Willard Mitt Romney looks increasingly likely to be the man President Barack Obama will look at across the debate podium. Returns from 16 of 17 counties in the Nevada caucus showed Romney sitting on 42 points and Gingrich on 26, further showing the former House Speaker is dropping off the pace, and fast. Well, given the sheer number of horses Willard has in his stables, you'd expect him to gallop away at some point... #OutOfIdeas

Willard wins Florida, cements candidacy

The Republican presidential nomination race came to Florida as a seemingly two-horse race. Has it now ensured that the race moves on with only one looking in good shape? In a rather one-sided affair, Willard Mitt Romney came away with an approximate 15 point victory over nearest challenger Newt Gingrich. I promise I'll stop constantly referring to him as Willard Mitt... I won't the names are just so silly unique.

Newt upsets odds with S.Carolina win

The former House Speaker threw a spanner in the Willard Mitt Romney electoral machine with a double-digit win over the former CEO of Bain Capital. Returns from 57% of the state showed Gingrich on 40 points, Romney on 27, Iowa surprise Santorum on 18 and evergreen libertarian Ron Paul on 13 points. C'mon GOP faithful, just give Willard his cake already. You know he's not going away...

Romney wins New Hampshire, draws first primary blood

A la Vince Vaughn from the Wedding Crashers, it's primary season! With the Iowa caucus earlier this month acting as the curtain raiser to the primary season proper, New Hampshire is the first stop for the tour bus. Pressing the flesh and gaining delegates is the aim of the game here and the next couple of months will make or destroy the candidates. Some are on their last run... aren't they Ron?

The eve of the Iowa caucus

Last time around our lad Willard (that's Mitt Romney to the uninformed) finished a rather distant second to Mike Huckabee, short by nearly 10%. The 'next-in-line' candidate went on to finish third in the overall nominee race with John 'call me Maverick' McCain taking on Obama and selling his soul down the river in the process. Needs must...

Gingrich would make John Bolton his Secretary of State

Current hot-shot Newt Gingrich says he would name former U.S. Permanent Representative to United Nations, under G.W. Bush from 2005-2006, John R. Bolton as his Secretary of State. I don't know what is scarier. The possibility that a neo-con's neo-con could perhaps run the most important governmental department or that Newt is now considered current and contemporary. Holy cow!

John Bolton is well known globally for his forthright views regarding issues of national security. Photo: Gage Skidmore (Flickr)

Paul goes after serial hypocrite Gingrich

Texas Congressman, serving his last term, Ron Paul has released a TV ad in Iowa calling former Speaker and Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich a serial hypocrite. The two and a half minute spot, entitled "Serial Hypocrisy", seeks to show the various positions the former professor has flip-flopped on. Straight up, the ad was cr*p.

Do you want a Ron Paul Revolution? He says he's going to cut $1 trillion in Year 1. Photo: Jayel Aheram (Flickr)

Gingrich gains Union Leader vote

Current recipient of the hype drive, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, has attained perhaps the most important endorsement the election press, in the early voting states, have to offer. New Hampshire's Manchester Union Leader has officially endorsed the former Georgia Congressman with an editorial featured on their front page. I like your style...

Joe McQuaid believes in Newt. Do you? Photography: VictoryNH: Protect Our Primary (Flickr)

Newt Gingrich rising? Now sinking?

Former Speaker of the House and Representative for Georgia, Newt Gingrich, had some good news last Tuesday when a Quinnipiac national poll showed him at 26 percent; four points higher than second place Mitt Romney. However, the 68-year-old might just have quickly lost hold of his good numbers after his showing at the Republican debate that Tuesday evening. Oh brother…

Gingrich illustrates his point with mandatory hand actions for emphasis! Photo: IowaPolitics.com (Flickr)

Gingrich surging up the polls

Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, has suddenly found himself rising up the polls chasing current poll toppers; Herman Cain and Mitt Romney. A Quinnipiac poll has shown the former Georgia representative to be placing third in three battleground states; Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And now the hype cycle has found its next stop; I'll give it five weeks at most.

("Sign my shirt please!") The bloke might as well be Matt Stafford. Credit: IowaPolitics.com (Flickr) 

Gingrich Campaign is $1 Million in Debt

In what has been a pretty tumultuous and unprofessional campaign, that in many ways ended with the ‘Newtiny’ on the Bounty, it seems things are only getting worse for the former Speaker from Georgia. Love the wordplay, love it!

Picture by Cain and Todd Benson via Flickr under a CC license.

Pawlenty and Gingrich Release Ads

Republican presidential nominee hopefuls Tim Pawlenty and Newt Gingrich have released new ads in the last couple of days with the former being the first to release one in Iowa. The state plays such an important role in primary politics because their caucuses are the first in the Nation and the first credible indicator of how the field is taking shape.

The June GOP Debate

The coverage of the second GOP debate in full. The 7 candidates were Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Herman Cain. Somewhat surprisingly former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson was left off the list whilst others like Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Sarah Palin are yet to declare and thus not invited. Although Bachmann formally declared her candidacy at the beginning of the show but CNN probably knew that would be the case.

Bit odd to invite the likes of Bachmann and particularly Cain and not Gary Johnson. Guy arguably speaks more sense than both but has fringe Republican values in comparison. He doesn't possess the high profile of fellow Libertarian Ron Paul he definitely deserves to be there particularly when the invited Cain opens his speech with, "I am not a politician." (Then what are you doing here...?)



P.S. - The YouTube embed tool is being a bit problematic so you can find parts 3-9 inclusive above but all parts 1-10 here.

A 'Newtiny' on the Bounty

Newt Gingrich is in trouble. The resignation of much of his senior staff, a include his campaign manager, campaign spokesman, media consultant and three top advisers has left a gaping chasm in the leadership foundation of the former Speaker's campaign. “There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run,” Gingrich said in repost to reporters. “We’ll find out over the next year who’s right.”

The charge levelled at Gingrich is his chronic lack of commitment to the campaign and it's hugely taxing nature both on the candidate and his family. Examples have included attending the Opera instead of 'pressing-the-flesh' at a Memorial Day parade. The vast array of extra-political commitments Gingrich has committed to has prevented the campaign from getting going and perhaps the most damming charge is levelled at Gingrich's wife, his third, Callista.

It has been said she's been micromanaging his day-to-day diary and been persistent in ensuring that his days are not totally consumed by the campaign and instead prioritise his attendance at film premieres and book signings. Her intrusion has appeared to be unwelcome as one senior staffer commented: "His spouse has demands on his time that are not practical for a candidate running for president."

The rigours of running for President are well known and frankly Callista should have known she'd be taking a bit of a back seat. After all, the excuse of family reasons has been used in this primary season to justify not running a la Mitch Daniels et Haley Barbour. Curtains now for Newt after this 'Newtiny'?

Profile: Newt Gingrich

With an announcement on Twitter and a video on YouTube the former Speaker of the House and Congressman from Georgia, Newt Gingrich, has declared his candidacy to be the Republican nominee for President in 2012. In the video he told viewers: "There's a much better American future ahead with more jobs, more prosperity, a better health system, longer lives, greater independent living and a country that is decentralized under the 10th Amendment with power once again back with the American people and away from the Washington bureaucracy."

In a not-so-veiled shot at the Obama administration and the Democratic Party he said: "there are some people who don't mind if America becomes a wreck as long as they dominate the wreckage." The author and historian, 67, is most famed for regularly locking horns with then President Bill Clinton and engineering the 1994 Contract with America which gave the Republican party control of the House for the first time in 40 years. However, just 4 years later after a disastrous performance by the GOP in the mid-term elections Gingrich resigned and has been working as a campaigner, as well as author, ever since. With his long career in Washington politics he has developed strong ties with several big GOP donors and party operatives; so a strong well-structured and well-funded campaign is expected.

Gingrich does however face questions about his family values and fidelity as he is already onto his third wife, Callista, who was a Congressional aide that he had an affair with whilst still married to his second wife. He blamed his aberration on his love of country and the stresses of congress. He has also recently converted to Catholicism and now has to work hard to win the religious, and protestant, socially conservative base. To do so he has associated himself with a rather controversial pastor the rather evangelical John Hagee who said on radio in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that New Orleans suffered the "judgement of God" due to its "level of sin." (No doubt a dig at the perceived culture around Bourbon Street in New Orleans although Hagee later retracted his words.)

Gingrich's campaign has however got off to a bit of a rocky start with the right of the party with his approach to the possible reformation of Medicare. In an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press' he labelled a GOP plan to overhaul the long-standing legislation as "right-wing extremism." The comments were seen as a rebuke to the orchestrator of the plan, the party's conservative rising star, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. A lot of the criticism levelled at Gingrich has come from the socially conservative and Tea Party embraced members of the GOP. South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley commented: "Here you’ve got Representative Ryan trying to bring common sense to this world of insanity, and Newt absolutely cut him off at the knees." Haley's endorsement is very much sought after as she governs the state that holds the primary season's third contest.

Later, Gingrich mentioned that he felt somewhat blind-sided by 'Meet the Press' presenter David Gregory's line of questioning despite appearing on the show 35 times. He has also drawn fire for his position on Obama's healthcare legislation as he didn't completely denounce it, initially, which is something widely expected of GOP members as not a single Republican in either House or Senate voted in favour of the bill. Regarding the individual mandate to take out health insurance, whether government or private, a key tenant of 'Obamacare' and opposed by Republicans he said: "I agree that all of us have a responsibility to pay — help pay for health care." He later tried back-tracking on this by stating that he flatly opposed the law and backed it up signing a pledge to repeal it.

Photo by ajagendorf25 via Wikimedia Commons.

On top of this, Gin­grich then encountered the latest hiccup regarding his personal life. A report by Politico stated that he previosuly owed approximately $500,000 to iconic jewellery store Tiffany and Co. The accounts were apparently filed by his latest wife Callista and when ever pressed for details about them Gingrich has continually declined to comment.

As it stands, Gingrich's support amongst GOP voters has been somewhat weak. In recently published polling; CNN showed only 10% support amongst GOP voters and 5% in a Quinnipiac poll. This once Republican heavyweight may not wield the power he once did just over a decade ago but his access to the party's largest financial backers is unmatched and the envy of his competitors except for maybe Mitt Romney who has of course the many millions in his pockets he could dig into should his fundraising river dry up.

Article first published as Profile: Newt Gingrich on Blogcritics. Also as Who is Newt Gingrich? The man who would be president on The Commentator.

Newt Gingrich Declares

Newt Gingrich announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination to be President of the United States of America in a 2 minute YouTube video. Looking straight at the camera and backed by some rather questionable  music he said: "I'm Newt Gingrich, and I'm announcing my candidacy for President of the United States because I believe we can return America to hope and opportunity, to full employment, to real security, to an American energy program, to a balanced budget."

The former Speaker of the House from Georgia joins Gary Johnson, Fred Karger and most recently Ron Paul as the main runners for the GOP nomination who have officially declared their nomination. Whilst undoubtedly he was a big name in the party just over a decade ago, famed for locking horns with President Bill Clinton, his star somewhat waned as he later resigned after a disastrous performance in the 1998 mid-term elections. He's now 67 years old and it is probable his longevity will be brought into question but side-lining him as being too old would be a mistake. He's popular amongst both social and, to a lesser extent, fiscal conservatives and was once the darling of the party even rivalling a President in popularity with the American people.

The Prospective GOP Field

Whilst Gary Johnson and Fred Karger remain the only 2 legitimate politicians to declare their candidacy for the Republican nomination the following are prospective nominees that we can expect decisions from in the coming weeks:

• Michele Bachmann - Minnesota Representative, prominent Tea Party member
• John Bolton - former UN aambassador, considered a neo-conservative
• Mitch Daniels - Governor of Indiana, more of a fiscal conservative
• Newt Gingrich - former Speaker, orchestrated 1994 Contract with America 
• Rudy Giuliani - Mayor of New York during 9/11, failed 2008 candidate
• Mike Huckabee - former Governor of Arkansas, social conservative
• Jon Huntsman, Jr. - former Governor of Utah. former ambassador to China
• Sarah Palin - running mate in 2008, social conservative, grassroots darling
• Ron Paul - iconic libertarian Republican, fiscal conservative, evergreen 
• Tim Pawlenty - former 1-term Governor of Minnesota, social conservative
• Buddy Roemer - former Governor of Louisiana, was a Democrat
• Mitt Romney - former Governor of Massachusetts, health-care reformer
• Rick Santorum - former Pennsylvania Senator, social conservative
• Donald Trump, Sr. - multi-millionaire businessman, quasi-celebrity, PR stunt?

This is not a comprehensive list of all the possible nominees but it is a list of all those who have any kind of legitimate shot at the nomination that have either expressed intention to run or are widely speculated to do so. (Bold type constitutes the widely regarded heavyweights within the party.) Santorum could be added to this list because much of his career has been prolific except for the fact that he suffered a humiliating and colossal defeat in his 2006 Senate campaign. Since then his career has somewhat stalled whilst Gingrich was one of the most high profile Speakers in American history because of his famous bust-ups with Bill Clinton but since his resignation in 1999 he has yet to recapture those previous heights.

Gingrich is expected to announce as early as the start of next week whilst Bachmann and Trump have said they will make their minds up by June. However, it is Mike Huckabee whose nomination will be followed most closely as he is no doubt a heavy-weight contender that has done everything expected of a nominee except promptly declare. Pawlenty and Romney are heavyweights that are certain to run whilst the smart money would be on Palin not to and wait 4 years.

The Republican field is slowly taking shape but at the moment what we are seeing is a really big game of chicken. Once a heavyweight candidate declares the rest will promptly follow suit but until then the prospective candidates jostle for pole position. Think of it in terms of the start of the Grand National at Aintree, although only the first 30 seconds of the video are relevant, it was a good race anyway.