Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks in Orlando, Fla., Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? Can Newt Gingrich come back a third time?

If he loses Tuesday in Florida’s primary ? polls predict he will ?Gingrich will spend the next month trying to prove the answer is yes.

“We were dead in June and July . but we came roaring back and we will again,” Gingrich said at a rally Monday in Tampa.

Still, the former House speaker, who has pledged to fight on until the GOP convention this summer, faces a tough road out of Florida. He plunges next into a scattershot series of state contests where he has little organization and must overcome steep odds to win.

Gingrich was hoping to ride a wave of enthusiasm to a win in Florida and beyond, stoked by his decisive victory in South Carolina. But unless he pulls off an upset win Tuesday, he will have squandered that momentum heading into states that look favorable for leading rival Mitt Romney.

After being battered by the well-funded Romney political machine, the Gingrich campaign will redouble its efforts to “tell the truth about Romney faster and more efficiently than he can lie about us,” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said.

The calendar works against Gingrich rebounding anytime soon. After a steady march through four state contests in January, the pace quickens before taking a long breather next month.

There are seven elections in February, which kicks off with Nevada’s caucuses Saturday. That will be followed by contests next week in Colorado, Minnesota and Maine as well as a non-binding primary in Missouri. A 17-day break will be capped by primaries in Arizona and Michigan on Feb. 28.

The schedule benefits a candidate, like Romney, with deep pockets and a sophisticated ground game able to compete on multiple fronts at once. Gingrich, who failed to even get on the ballot in his home state of Virginia for the March 6 Super Tuesday primary, is playing catch-up.

“We’re behind the eight-ball,” acknowledged George Harris, a Las Vegas restaurant owner who serves as a national finance chair for Gingrich and is helping his efforts in Nevada.

Romney has had staff in the state since June and has already begun running ads there. And he’s a known quantity in the state, having won it when he sought the GOP nomination in 2008.

Gingrich dispatched six staffers to Nevada just days ago and they have rapidly built the operation from the ground up.

Maine is in the former Massachusetts governor’s back yard and, in a show of force, he has 40 state legislators backing him. Another candidate, Ron Paul, also has a strong network of support in the state, a holdover from his 2008 presidential run.

Gingrich aides are aiming to hang on.

“We’re getting a late start here,” said John Grooms, Gingrich’s grassroots director in Maine, who until December was backing Herman Cain. “The goal here is to have a good, respectable showing.”

Romney grew up in Michigan and is still looked at as something of favorite son among Republicans in the state.

Romney claimed both Colorado and Michigan in 2008 and maintains networks in each state.

Just 10 days ago, an ebullient Gingrich touched down in Florida, fresh off his win in South Carolina and drawing cheering crowds of thousands. It was a far different tone as he wrapped up his campaign Monday with a lap around the state. Crowds were far sparser, and although Gingrich kept up the attacks on Romney, he sometimes sounded tired as he raced from Jacksonville to Pensacola to Fort Myers.

The Gingrich camp sought to put a positive spin on what is expected to be a disappointing showing in Florida, where the winner will scoop up all 50 delegates.

A memo from Gingrich political director Martin Baker made the case that moving forward, delegates will be awarded proportionally, meaning that even if Romney racks up wins the delegate count could remain tight so long as the races are competitive.

Baker noted that no matter who wins Florida, only 5 percent of the 2,288 national convention delegates will have been awarded.

“The campaign is shifting to a new phase where opportunities are not limited to a single state,” Baker wrote.

Gingrich aides also said they had succeeded in effectively making the race a two-man contest, with Gingrich surviving as the conservative alternative to Romney. Rick Santorum, who had been splitting the conservative vote with Gingrich, is trailing badly in Florida.

Gingrich’s prospects improve when the race sweeps back South on Super Tuesday. The Bible Belt is his sweet spot and his onetime home state of Georgia is in the mix with its 76 delegates.

“The math doesn’t get better for us until much later in the game,” Hammond acknowledged.

Gingrich will have to survive until then. He fought his way back into the GOP race last year after his top aides resigned en masse in the spring. He rallied again in South Carolina after a barrage of attack ads knocked him from front-runner status in Iowa.

Harris, in Nevada, says a repeat won’t be impossible.

“The thing I love about Newt is that he’s a fighter,” he said. “Every time you think you’ve knocked him down he gets back up and knocks you in the face.”

___

Follow Shannon McCaffrey: www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-31-Gingrich-Hurdles%20Ahead/id-b293d417d0b64261b0d3af883599e00b

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COMMENTARY | PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Only one day from the South Carolina Republican presidential primary on Saturday, political observers anxiously await determining if a competitive race to challenge Barack Obama still exists.

Previously running in the 2008 primaries, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has the experience, organization, and funding to be a formidable frontrunner.

Despite such advantages, the 64-year-old has seen numerous rivals garner waves of support during the past six months. Furthermore, his poll numbers are stubbornly capped between 30 percent and 40 percent.

Because of these limitations, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Sen. Rick Santorum, and Rep. Ron Paul are still viable candidates. Though others have dropped out — and Texas Gov. Rick Perry is the latest — these challengers seek momentum to stop Romney’s ascendency.

By winning the New Hampshire primary, Mitt Romney passed an initial test of electability. Though tactics will surely change, pending results in South Carolina, the remaining candidates will soon head south and transform Florida into the race’s next battleground.

On Monday, NBC and the Tampa Bay Times will host a debate at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The event will be televised nationally to put the spotlight on the Sunshine State during this bitter fight.

Following this forum, the candidates will spend most of the next week in Florida, hoping both to speak and kiss babies profusely, before the primary on January 31. Southwest Florida will certainly prove critical turf to compete for votes, as the plush checkbooks of wealthy retirees are always in demand.

While Romney and Paul have yet to crystallize plans, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have jump-started their itineraries. With pleasant weather, and snowbird residents fully occupying their winter escapes, expect these politicians to deliver numerous stump speeches throughout Florida during the last days of January.

On Tuesday, both Gingrich and Santorum will pass through southwest Florida. The former House Speaker will visit Sarasota for morning fundraisers at Michael’s Wine Cellar and Michael’s On East. The affluent area is prime destination for campaign cash — an essential asset if Gingrich is to oppose Romney long-term. These smaller stops will reward supporters, before the candidate speaks to the “Grassroots Rally” at Dolphin Aviation at 1:45pm near Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ).

Rick Santorum will be nearby, as he attends the “Rally By The Water” at Laishley Park in Punta Gorda. The event, which is sponsored by the Punta Gorda Tea Party, will begin at 3:00pm and include music, prayer, and guest speakers, leading up to the former senator’s arrival. The rally will be emceed by WCCF radio personality Ken Lovejoy, host of the popular local program “Charlotte County Speaks.” Mr. Lovejoy will introduce Santorum and opine on why this is the most important election of our lifetime.

These events excitedly bring potential presidents to Southwest Florida. Besides an increase in bumper stickers and broad promises, they put the region on the forefront of determining which candidate (if any) can best challenge Romney and Obama.

Jeff Briscoe, an attorney and freelance writer, is also a regular contributor on sports and more for Yahoo! Contributor Network .

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120120/pl_ac/10854161_southwest_florida_awaits_turn_as_presidential_battleground

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COLUMBIA, S.C. ? Republicans Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are not ceding one inch of South Carolina as the unpredictable campaign for the South’s first presidential primary concludes ? and certainly not Tommy’s Ham House.

Romney is fighting a suddenly surging Gingrich, while rivals Rick Santorum and Ron Paul look to surprise in a four-man race that has spun wildly in its last 48 hours.

Seen as Romney’s to lose just days ago, South Carolina’s primary has become a close contest between Romney, the former Massachusetts governor portraying himself as the best able to beat President Barack Obama, and Gingrich, the confrontational former House speaker and former Georgia congressman.

Both were scheduled to hold dueling campaign events at Tommy’s, in Republican-rich Greenville, late Saturday morning. And neither campaign was stepping back from a primary day showdown.

It’s “neck and neck,” Romney declared Friday, moving to lower expectations for a race he led by double digits as of midweek.

Even as Romney was touting his electability in November, he continued to try to stoke doubt about Gingrich’s ethics.

Gingrich, buoyed by the endorsement of Texas Gov. Rick Perry as he left the race Thursday, called Romney’s suggestion that his chief rival release documents relating to an ethics investigation from the 1990s a “panic attack” brought on by sinking poll numbers.

Romney’s demand was turnabout from Gingrich’s that Romney release his income tax returns before the weekend primary. Gingrich argues that GOP voters need to know whether the wealthy former venture capital executive’s records contain anything that could hurt the party’s chances against Obama.

The stakes were high for Saturday’s vote. The primary winner has gone on to win the Republican nomination in every election since 1980. And voters were faced with stamping Romney, who has led in national polls since December, as the party’s front-runner, or reshuffle the contest.

Romney won the New Hampshire primary by a wide marign on Jan. 10, and was thought to have edged Santorum in a photo-finish in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses. However, the certified count from Iowa on Thursday showed Santorum had received more votes, although a handful of precincts remained uncertain and no winner was declared.

Romney, Gingrich and Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator vying to be the preferred conservative, all planned to campaign in South Carolina’s conservative upstate as the voting got under way. Paul, the Texas congressman who has campaigned lightly here, had no campaign appearances scheduled but was expected to visit campaign volunteers.

Behind the flurry of public events around the state Friday, telephones and televisions crackled with attack messages. Some of South Carolina’s notorious 11th-hour devilry ? fake reports in the form of emails targeting Gingrich and his ex-wife Marianne ? emerged in a race known as much for its nastiness as for its late-game twists.

“Unfortunately, we are now living up to our reputation,” said South Carolina GOP strategist Chip Felkel.

State Attorney Gen. Alan Wilson ordered a preliminary review of the phony messages to see if any laws had been broken.

Gingrich’s ex-wife burst into the campaign this week when she alleged in an ABC News interview that her former husband had asked her for an “open marriage,” a potentially damaging claim in a state where the Republican primary electorate includes a potent segment of Christian conservatives. The thrice-married Gingrich, who has admitted to marital infidelities, angrily denied her accusation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120121/ap_on_el_pr/us_gop_campaign

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