With Rick Santorum bowing out of the presidential race, Newt Gingrich is attempting to rally Republicans behind his bid, calling himself the last conservative standing.
Gingrich praised Santorum after the former U.S. senator announced on Tuesday that he was exiting the race.
Rick has waged a remarkable campaign, Gingrich said. His success is a testament to his tenacity and the power of conservative principles.
Gingrich has had less success than Santorum found in positioning himself as a conservative alternative to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney. While Santorum placed first in 11 contests across the country, Gingrich has won only two primaries -- South Carolina and his home state of Georgia. Despite this, the former congressional leader said he plans to stay in the race until the Republican convention in Tampa convenes in August.
I am committed to staying in this race all the way to Tampa so that the conservative movement has a real choice, Gingrich said, before asking Santorum supporters to review my conservative record and join us as we bring these values to Tampa. We know well that only a conservative can protect life, defend the Constitution, restore jobs and growth and return to a balanced budget.
In the meantime, the Gingrich camp is pushing the idea that their candidate is the last conservative standing in the race and is looking to fundraise on that concept.
The Gingrich campaign trotted out former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, a prominent Gingrich supporter, on Wednesday to help their candidate raise funds.
Conservative pundits and activists across this country are all buzzing about what Rick Santorum's exit from the presidential race means, Watts wrote in an email sent out to supporters on Wednesday. I'll tell you exactly what it means: that Newt Gingrich is the last conservative standing.
The Gingrich team is looking to bring some cash into their war chest. There has been buzz for weeks that the Gingrich team is low on funds -- and there are reports this week that the Gingrich campaigns check to pay the fee to get on the Utah primary ballot bounced.
Nor does the primary calendar offer much solace for Gingrich. With five Northeastern states holding primaries on April 24, Gingrich is targeting Delaware -- the smallest prize on the table with only 17 delegates in Tampa. He was campaigning there last week and invested time the last two weeks there as well. The Gingrich team is also focusing on North Carolina which holds its primary on May 8 along with Indiana and West Virginia.
Despite fundraising woes and an unfriendly calendar, the Gingrich team maintains their candidate will remain in the contest.
We're in this race to win and defeat Barack Obama's radical agenda that will take America the way of Saul Alinsky socialism, Watts said.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
