Newt Gingrich to Suspend Campaign Next Tuesday -- Take a Look Back At His Run
This just in from Carl Cameron: Senior aides for Newt Gingrich say that he will formally suspend or end his campaign next Tuesday, May 1. Sources add that he will "more than likely" endorse Romney at that time.
From being a marginal candidate to soaring to the top of the polls, Gingrich himself described his run at the nomination as “a lot like riding Space Mountain at Disney.”
Check out these memorable quotes from the always provocative former speaker of the House.
May 13, 2011: "Obama is an enormous success - the most successful food stamp president in American history." - in a speech to the Georgia Republican convention.
May 18, 2011: “I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering. I don’t think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for free society to operate.”— commenting on Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan on Meet the Press. Watch the video.
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June 15, 2011: “Newt 2012 is the biggest threat to … the left that [Washington D.C.] has seen.” – vowing to continue on following the resignation of over a dozen of his campaign staffers. Watch the video from Hannity.
September 22, 2011: “I strongly favor English as the official language of government.” - during a Fox News Channel debate
November 4, 2011: “Herman is now a major contender and we’ll see whether or not Rick Perry can recover. But at the moment, as the polls are developing, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sort of Mitt and Newt at the last run.” Read more.
November 8, 2011: "When you say to me about really great moments of happiness, it is hanging out at zoos." - in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan.
November 18, 2011: "These schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school." - in an address at Harvard.
November 19, 2011: "Go get a job right after you take a bath." - speaking about Occupy Wall Street at a 'Thanksgiving Table' forum in Iowa.
November 23, 2011: “I don’t see how the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century. And, I’m prepared to take the heat for saying ‘Let’s be humane in enforcing the law without giving them citizenship but by finding a way to create legality so that they are not separated from their families.’” - addressing immigration in a CNN debate. Watch the video here.
January 3, 2012: “Mitt Romney fails to tell the truth at three levels: He won’t tell the truth about his own record; he is at best a Massachusetts moderate, not a conservative. He has failed to tell the truth about his Super PAC, which is run by his staff, and funded by his millionaire friends. I just wish he would be honest with the American people.” – addressing the competition in an interview with Bill Hemmer prior to the Iowa caucuses. Watch the video.
January 16, 2012: “I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their Creator with the right to pursue happiness, and if that makes liberals unhappy, I’m going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job.” — during a heated exchange with Juan Williams during a Fox News Channel debate. Watch the back-and-forth here.
January 19, 2012: "I'm appalled you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that." - to CNN's John King after he opened the South Carolina debate asking if Gingrich wanted to respond to the allegations that he asked for an "open marriage" with his ex-wife. Watch here.
January 25, 2012: "By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon. And it will be American." - Gingrich told an audience in Cocoa, FL.
March 6, 2012: “I believe that I’m the one candidate who has the ability to debate Barack Obama decisively.” – following a primary win in Georgia. Watch the speech here.
March 13, 2012: “The idea that the Republicans are going to try to beat Obamacare with somebody who authored Romneycare strikes me as in the end a dead loser.” — in an interview with Fox and Friends.
April 8, 2012: “I think you have to be realistic given the size of his organization, given the number of primaries he’s won. He is far and away the most likely Republican nominee and if he does get to 1,144 delegates, I’ll support him … because the primary goal of the entire Republican Party has to be to defeat Barack Obama.” — on Fox News Sunday
April 11, 2012: “We are both committed to defeating Barack Obama … If Mitt Romney ends up earning 1,144 delegates, I will be for him. And I suspect if I end up, to his surprise, being the nominee, he’d be for me.” – in an interview on America’s Newsroom. Check it out.
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Timeline of Gingrich's campaign:
March 3, 2011: Newt forms an exploratory website called "Newt Explore 2012."
May 11, 2011: Gingrich officially announces his run for the presidency via Twitter.
May 16, 2011: He officially files his statement of candidacy with the FEC.
June 9, 2011: Gingrich loses spokesman Rick Tyler, campaign manager Rob Johnson, along with other strategists after he and senior aides were unable to agree on the direction of the campaign.
September 29, 2011: Outlining what he calls a "21st Century Contract With America," Gingrich says the document is "much bigger and much bolder" than what he unveiled in 1994.
November 14, 2011: Despite polling as low as 2% in a June poll, Gingrich soars to the lead in a PPP poll with 28% support.
January 21, 2012: Gingrich wins the South Carolina primary.
January 27, 2012: The Gallup tracking poll conducted over the previous 4 days gives Gingrich a 2-point lead over Romney - his last lead in a national poll.
March 6, 2012: Gingrich wins the Georgia primary.
March 13, 2012: He finishes a disappointing second in both Alabama and Mississippi - contests most thought Gingrich needed to win to make a serious push.
March 27, 2012: Gingrich lays off a third of his campaign staff and cuts back on his schedule in an effort designed to sustain his long-shot ambitions.
April 19, 2012: Gingrich tells Republicans at a New York state party dinner that he would work for Mitt Romney's victory in the general election if Romney wins the nomination.
April 23, 2012: Depending on results in DE, Newt says he might have to "reassess" his campaign: "I think we need to take a deep look …We will be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we will look and see what the results are."
April 24, 2012: His current standing is 137 delegates or 11.98% needed to secure nomination. He would need to win 1007 delegates or 89.83% of those remaining to win the nomination.
