Outside the Beltway

Newt Gingrich Tells Georgia Republicans He’s Running In 2012

Doug Mataconis · Saturday, January 22, 2011 · 6 comments

Newt Gingrich toyed with the idea of running for President four years ago, or toyed with his  supporters with the idea that he might right for President to be more precise, but this time he appears to be in for real:

In the last 24 hours, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has touched base with several prominent Republicans in his former home state, telling them that he intends to make a run for president in 2012 using Georgia as his base – and that he already has his eye on office space in Buckhead for a campaign headquarters.

Gingrich met on Thursday with Nathan Deal, whom Gingrich endorsed during a critical phase of last year’s Republican primary for governor.

House Speaker David Ralston introduced Gingrich Thursday night at a downtown Atlanta affair hosted by the Paulding County Chamber of Commerce.

The visits and conversations – some face-to-face, others on the phone — appear to be an attempt by Gingrich to revive his old campaign network and lock down as much support as possible in a state won by Republican Mike Huckabee in the 2008 presidential primary.

A spokeswoman for Johnny Isakson said Gingrich called the U.S. senator earlier this month – adding that Gingrich was not definite about his plans in that conversation. In an interview on Friday, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he had not talked to Gingrich yet, but that the former U.S. House speaker had asked for an appointment in the near future. “He said, ‘I need a significant amount of your time,'” Chambliss said.

Gingrich may not fund Chambliss too receptive given some recent quotes of his:

“Newt is my friend. He’s been a mentor, in some respects, since he was speaker when I got elected [to Congress].”

“But it’s a different world right now, and we’ve got to make sure that whoever the nominee is , that he can win in November. That’s the goal of every Republican right now. John Thune[, the U.S. senator from South Dakota,] is a very close friend. He’s talked to me about his potential campaign.

“I’m going to keep my powder dry.”

Honestly, I’m trying to figure out why anyone would support Gingrich at this point. What, exactly, does he bring to the race that any of the other candidates don’t other than a very checkered personal history and largely failed turn as Speaker of the House?