Lutz, Florida (CNN) – Seeking to shore up conservative support in what he promised would be a long nomination fight, Newt Gingrich on Sunday sought to cast Republican presidential opponent Mitt Romney as a liberal.
"I just think it will be very, very clear, increasingly clear over the next few weeks that this party is not going to nominate somebody who is a pro-abortion, pro-gun control, pro-tax increase liberal. It's not going to happen," Gingrich said Sunday in reference to what he called past stances Romney has held.
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Two polls released over the weekend show Romney building a comfortable lead over Gingrich in Florida. According to a poll conducted by The Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9, Romney is ahead in every region in the state, with the two front-runners closest in the conservative North.
In Tampa Bay, where Gingrich attended a Sanctity of Life Sunday service at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Romney is leading by 16 percentage points.
Despite the polls showing a difficult path ahead, Gingrich said he intends to take the nomination fight "all the way to the convention." He noted that the polls show the combined support for him and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, another conservative in the race, eclipses Romney's top-place standing in the state.
"We have no evidence yet that Romney anywhere is coming close to getting a majority and I think when you take all of the non-Romney votes, it's very likely that at the convention there will be a non-Romney majority and maybe a very substantial one. My job is to convert that into a pro-Gingrich majority," Gingrich told reporters after the church service.
Gingrich indicated he might approach Santorum about dropping out in order to consolidate the conservative vote, but not right away. Santorum canceled campaign events Sunday after his 3-year-old daughter was admitted to the hospital the evening before.
Gingrich said it would be inappropriate to discuss Santorum's possible withdrawal at this time, but suggested the two candidates may talk after Florida's primary on Tuesday.
"This would be a totally inappropriate time to do anything like that," Gingrich said. "Rick's going to get a decent vote (on Tuesday). I have no doubt the two of us are going to collectively outscore Romney. At that point it may be a pretty good conversation."
From CNN Politics
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The spin goes into over-drive. gingRICH knows he can't win touting his own attributes so he will go after Romney in the most negative way possible. The clown care keeps racing down the road waiting for a collision with reality.
Gingrich received Herman Cain's endorsement, very fitting for two of a kind womanizers, liars and cheats.
This should be interesting. Even Romney supporters are realizing that he is a fatally flawed candidate. No vulture capitalist paying a lower tax rate than the average voter while living off corporate welfare and screwing taxpayers on pensions has a snowball's chance in a race where the economy will be front and center. It also speaks volumes about Rove's over-inflated sense of ego that he thought he could pull off such a shameless bait and switch, sell Romney the Elitist Robot as a conservative, and steal another presidency for the neocons.
Earth to Gingrich. Santorum supports Romney. Repeat. Santorum supports Romney. Check 2008 endorsement. Over.
The ridiculous clown car of the Republicans has created an anti-Republican population. None of them can be trusted to run the most powerful nation on earth.
It would be a tragedy if Gingrich were nominated and elected president. Think of having to see his face on TV and in newspapers for 4 years. I have seen many references to his adultery and multi marriages and can't understand what women see in him unless it is the many millions of dollars he has earned since leaving the govt. I saw an interview where he was questioned about the hundred million dollars he earned since then and he replied that he was a good business man. He does not look like a ladies man, but like an old woman who has OD'd on estrogen.
Anyone but Romney! Newt and Rick please get together and pick one person to consolidate the conservative vote, even if it is someone else. Just do it!
Gingrich indicated he might approach Santorum about dropping out in order to consolidate the conservative vote, but not right away. Santorum canceled campaign events Sunday after his 3-year-old daughter was admitted to the hospital the evening before.
This is why I wont vote for Newt . Yet there is no diferance between , Romney , Gingrich or Santorum .
Gingrich should drinp out then. I'm a Romney vote but I have no doubt that Santorum is the most conservative of the three.
newt needs to keep looking. This little troll wouldnt know the truth if it hit him in his face. But watching the repos has been pretty funny. Keep it up guys .
Romney is working for the Liberals with a conservative voice...I do believe he is working for Obama and will be his next VP if Obama wins or some high office in his cabninet.......
someone needs to explain to me what Gingrich has done for me or the public since he was ousted out of the speaker of the house by his own party. Someone needs to explain t what has he done to show (concrete facts) that he has changed since his own party didn't want his to lead. How do I know he has really changed? All I hear is he has lobbied for himself to get richer!!!!! What makes me think he won't be as bad (or worse) as a president as he was as a speaker? If he thinks the speaker of the house was a tough job, how is he going to handle the presidency? He may be book smart but cannot apply is knowledge... I have known a lot of book smart people that just cannot put their knowledge into practice..
I wish Rick drop out for Gingrich. That would be nice battle between two, means conservative and like liberal Mitt.
Santorum is NOT going to endorse Newt – he will most definitely endorse Romney after FL primary. Santorum knows exactly what Newt is, judging by Newt's past in the House. And for Newt to claim that there is "no evidence that Romney anywhere is coming close to getting a majority" is total nonsense. Romney is now at 41% and Newt and Santorum combined are at 42%. My prediction is Romney will take FL by 25% over Newt.
Yeah, and if Rick asked you to drop out would you? Some church goer, cheating on and calling ex-wives liars.
obama or romney , they are one in the same
Mittens is only a liberal every other day. In between he is a teavangelical.