Gingrich says he's a potential 2012 contender
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/08/12/newt.0811.gi.jpg caption="Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he's among a handful of Republican candidates who are thinking about running for president in 2012."](CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he's among a handful of Republican candidates who are thinking about running for president in 2012.
"I think I'm probably on a list of seven or eight possible candidates at this stage," Gingrich reportedly told reporters in North Carolina Wednesday before speaking to a gathering of conservatives. Joe DeSantis, Gingrich's communications director, confirmed the accuracy of the quotes to CNN.
"We have a lot of people around the country who would like to have somebody who represents a commitment to replace the current failed programs and to develop a set of solutions that are practical and workable," Gingrich also said.
Among the other Republican candidates Gingrich named as possible 2012 contenders included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also included on Gingrich's list are Govs. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Rick Perry of Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. South Dakota Sen. John Thune may also be a potential candidate, Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he would make a decision about his own political future next year after discussing the prospect of a presidential bid with his wife.
Gingrich's comments come days after organizers of The Southern Republican Leadership Conference - a high-profile gathering of party activists considered to be an initial venue for potential GOP presidential candidates - announced the former House Speaker will be among the list of Republican speakers. Palin and Pawlenty are also expected to attend the event.
Gingrich also recently filed government paperwork to form a political action committee, named American Solutions PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records. The forming of a political action committee will allow Gingrich to raise cash and donate the money to federal and state candidates across the country. It could also be a sign that Gingrich is serious about running for the White House in 2012.
American Solutions is also the name of Gringrich's political organization, which is incorporated as a 527 group, and is not subject to the same contribution limits as political action committees. Unlike PACs, 527s can also directly accept funds from corporations but are barred from directly contributing to a candidate or financing a potential White House bid.
- CNN's Paul Steinhauser and Peter Hamby contributed to this report
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Just who we need for president – a man who was insensitive enough to announce he was divorcing his first wife while she was in a hospital bed.
The man said that the American public was responsible for the loss of the Vietnam war. Wonder what else he will blame on the American public?
this is way too funny!! maybe he and lying palin can run a joint ticket!
guarenteed second term for President Obama!
God Bless President Obama, VP Biden, the First Families and "Bo"
Why not ? He can join the list of other GOP losers that will just get more screwed up than they already are. Sorting out that pack of losers is going to be a real challenge for the Republicans and in the mean time, welcome back Mr. Obama. LOL
Sure would be a novelty to have 2 brainy candidates running. My gut is that Newt and Barack would have some world class debates.
And maybe to add a little eye candy Newt could get Sarah to parade around flashing the round number cards and throw in a wink or two????
Is he checking with his current wife or the one he ran out on!!
guess it is family values time to check in!!
Sir, you are the failed policy.
Obama is such a disaster than just about anyone could beat him....first the Dems lose Congress in '10...then the White House..now, the Repubs might not be better....but the one sure thing is that Obama is history
Newt names all those "contenders" but fails to mention the one Republican candidate who has the most grass roots support of them all: RON PAUL.
Newt is totally out of touch with America and his own party. He will never be President.
I think he would make a great partner in a Palin ticket.
While I will not vote for anyone in the gop for anything ever again I really hope thet someone steps up thats really concerned about the domestic issues in the country. Also every politician whether running for office or not should strongly denounce Pat Robertson for his pattern of hateful statements from 9/11 to Haiti
Let me look into my crystal ball and predict that the loons will be going crazy over this announcement. Some of the typical hatred will come out along with the words homophobe, racist, war monger, and other vial language from the left with no examples to back there crazy comments. Let me guess also there will be Palin references maybe a mention of Russia. Come on crazies find something new.
Oh my gosh!. Someone better tell the fool that he is wasting his money. No one in this nation is that stupid. Then again maybe he has a change afterall they voted an alien and Islam supporter in office. So I guess us American idiots will do most anything. PLEASE DEAR LORD HELP US FOR WE KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.
The Republican Party lacks even a hint of a conscience as they continually seek to deceptively manipulate public opinion in order to justify returning to the self-serving irresponsibility of the Bush-Cheney administration who stubbornly and arrogantly used their offices and America’s resources in their pursuit of a costly private agenda. Look at the ‘puppets’ they offer, Fred Thompson, Rudi Giuliani, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Jon Kyl, Michael Steele, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell,,and always presenting new ones, Pawlenty, Jindal, Thune,, all being without any hesitation or guilt in willing doing the bidding of the powerful, influential and wealthy few who overtly and covertly support them. If we really want the Republicans (and I do) to ever return to being a moderately conservative force honestly representing the people instead of being owned and controlled by Special Interests and a select few, then we need to firmly reject what they have become and give them the message that they need to change to survive. The Democrats are of course far from being perfect but we really shouldn’t blame them for the current costs or even fear their liberalness, as the Republican subterfuge suggests, as we really need a strong measure of it to bring balance back in reforming our malignant health services, spending on our decaying infrastructure, establishing regulations and enforcement for our corrupted financial systems, in straightening out the housing industry, the auto industry and in general wherever greed, self-indulgence and dishonesty have been allowed to dominate and render havoc. We simply have a long way to come back and there are costs that need to be accepted in the process but to return to the biased philosophy of placating the few while giving the many only apathy, the costs and an abundance of deceptive rhetoric won’t save anything and rather literally spells disaster for the majority. The powerful few really need to be stood up to and the only way that will ever happen is if we give our representatives no choice!
I didn't see any names of "potential contenders" on that list that I would consider supporting, and please God, not another governor from Texas as president!!!!!!
Gee and why did he HAVE to step down as Speaker of the House??? And yes he converted to Catholicism, for his THIRD wife. I love the smell of hypocrite in the morning.
Gingrich/Palin – Palin/Gingrich... Who gets to be on top?
Either way, it's gotta be good for Americans.
(In MY mind) there is NO WAY that those "Conservative" Republicans can find enough votes to get into office.
In other words the GOP has no contenders for office.
Being president is so easy, even a caveman can do it! Newt....NOT!
Now let me see if i get this right! He is having an affair, asked his wife for a divorce while she is in the hospital, remarried after several other affairs and now he is asking his wife about running! Hope he does not get up and start to talk about family values!! He is a little bit of a joke!!
haha! Great! And he's gotta talk with his wife about it...c'mon...just go away...
More name calling, is this what this country has been reduced to? Brown Shirts and old bastard, brain dead and so on. This is what our left wingers call a civilized and open minded debate..... Wait is that your class room bell????? Grow up people.
Not sure if he'd win, but out of the list of contenders Newt is the best. Palin would be a huge disaster and I would have to sit out voting (a first in my life) if she was on the GOP ticket vs Obama who already IS a disaster.
He could meet Obama and fire up a doobie & talk about life & stuff...Newt is too olde to be a POTHEAD hmmmmmmm....
NEWT420Presdient2o1o
Well,some uplifting news today for a change. If any of those idiots want to run against Obama, I'm certainly not going to worry about
the outcome anymore. PLEEEESE! When someone asks them what they have done for the country in the last few years (besides driving the economy into the ground and killing our Constitutional rights) I really want to hear what they think up. Should be a good laugh,and we need one right now...