Signs of Stress in Newt’s Campaign
Repeatedly, Newt Gingrich’s campaign has approached the precipice. But as the former House speaker struggles to stay relevant after only winning two states, the likelihood that he has passed the point of no return is increasing.
There are fleeting moments when it appears the campaign, and perhaps even Gingrich himself, knows that a big decision is looming after Tuesday, when Alabama and Mississippi voters head to the polls.
But publicly Gingrich is unwavering: He’s in this for the long haul.
“We’ll clearly do well enough to move on [after Tuesday] and I think there’s a fair chance we’ll win,” Gingrich told the Associated Press on Friday. “But I just want to set this to rest once and for all, we’re going to Tampa.”
But as the ex-speaker vows to stay the course, signs of stress are beginning to show in both the candidate and the campaign.
On Thursday morning in Jackson, Miss., the capital and state’s largest city, Gingrich addressed a paltry crowd of about 100 people at a morning rally. Rick Santorum drew a much larger crowd in the city the night before and Mitt Romney had a larger audience the next morning, according to attendees of all three events.
Gingrich Jackson remarks were uninspiring and meandered away from the usual stump speech. The former House speaker talked about Henry Kissinger’s accent and an Arnold Schwarzenegger video. The crowd barely applauded and only at the end, when Gingrich picked up steam, talking about the burning of Qurans in Afghanistan
The lack of energy might have had something to do with the fact that Gingrich was out late the night before. He stayed in the hotel lobby bar until 2 a.m., dancing with his wife, Callista, to a cover band.