Report: Bauer Calls on Gingrich to Leave Race

(CBS News) Conservative activist Gary Bauer on Thursday urged Newt Gingrich to get out of the contest for the Republican presidential nomination and said conservatives are ready to unite behind Rick Santorum, according to a story in the Washington Examiner.

Bauer, head of Campaign for Working Families, said he polled 200,000 conservatives and found that 74 percent of them want to unite behind a single candidate and that 82 percent of that group want the nominee to be Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, the newspaper reported. Just 18 percent chose front-runner Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, 16 percent picked Gingrich, the former House speaker, and 1 percent backed Paul, a Texas congressman.

"A strong consensus is emerging at the conservative grassroots to unite behind Senator Santorum," Bauer, who ran for president briefly himself in 2000, told the newspaper. "There is great admiration for Newt Gingrich's contributions to conservatism, as well as his debating abilities. But the overwhelming sentiment was that he could most help the conservative cause by standing with Santorum so that voters have a clear choice in the remaining primaries."

In a response, Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond told National Journal/CBS News, "With all due respect to Mr. Bauer, we are going to take the support of leaders like Don Wildmon here in Mississippi and Jim Garlow in California and head to Tampa."

[fredisalive]

none of these jokers will beat Obama!

[buzzhowdy]

So Gingrich has to drop out so people will be forced to vote for Santorum? Otherwise they just can't help themselves. Poor things don't know no better I guess. I think a better poll would find that 100% of voters would want to unite behind one guy if it were their guy.

[sharkboy234]

newt gingrich go home suspend your campaign now!

[gep1955]

Remember how Obama sounded so conservative and down the middle when he ran? Now look at where we're at. Romney sounds like the same thing. Balancing everthing he says so that nobody gets offended and supposedly attract more voters. Santorum speaks from his heart, offends some, mostly the left, and doesn't pander to us. Isn't that what we all have been looking for in our leaders?

[royalstar05]

Are people in the media that stupid? They have to have figured it out by now that NONE of these people are going to beat Obama this fall. I keep reading story after story about these 4 running for his seat and it just makes me laugh. Obama is going to win people. Its that simple. They are running around america for nothing.

[retiredgustav]

They are just trying to make news.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

by ddal10 March 9, 2012 7:55 AM EST
How many times is it going to take for the Republicans to understand that they are and never have been the Party of Family Values?

---

Well, they can hardly get any votes by being truthful and admitting they work for the top 2% - that would only get them 2% of the vote, wouldn't it?

So they trot out their flag-waving, bible-thumping, family values charade to dupe intellectually-challenged members of the working class into voting against their own best interests.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

Moderate conservatives have coalesced around Romney.

The ultra-conservative's dilemna, as I see it, is their having to choose between a candidate with no scruples and another with no brains.

[NDann]

Rick does need to stop feeling he has to explain any goctha question put his way & simply say that's not the issue that raised by Obama............He brought up the challenge to religious freedom all by himself. It is a first amendment rights issue . I care nothing about anything but that issue. Lynn's go forward advise is what we must do. The voters of Alabama & Mississippi must gently convince Newt that he must give up plan A to stop Romney whom he obviously DESPISES. INSTEAD Deal Romney the worst thing he wishes on him. Plan B accept the inevitable & DENY him the nomination by stepping back. The best ideas of his campaign can still be a part of a Santorum administration. It's up to the voters of Alabama & Missippi to take one for the Conservative Cause cause if this doesn't happen. Romney down there with big money right now. Proud to be from ND, the state that delivered Santorums largest margin of victory in any State to Date. If the people will let Newt know that he needs to take another plan, then there is a lot of hope. I'm sure that if he stays on a win for himself from Al. & Miss. the party is over for both him and Santorum & the most Conservative path for the Nation............but the most liberal path is not Mitt, it is Obama.! Ron Paul deserves a spot in an administration.......a Constitutional watchdog appointment to keep all mindful of whether a plan is meeting the constitutional test. Many of his Positions on Domestic issues, no conservative can argue with. .........keep that in your sites. Game on! Lets play it for the team!

[NDann]

Rick does need to stop feeling he has to explain any goctha question put his way & simply say that's not the issue that raised by Obama............He brought up the challenge to religious freedom all by himself. It is a first amendment rights issue . I care nothing about anything but that issue. Lynn's go forward advise is what we must do. The voters of Alabama & Mississippi must gently convince Newt that he must give up plan A to stop Romney whom he obviously DESPISES. INSTEAD Deal Romney the worst thing he wishes on him. Plan B accept the inevitable & DENY him the nomination by stepping back. The best ideas of his campaign can still be a part of a Santorum administration. It's up to the voters of Alabama & Missippi to take one for the Conservative Cause cause if this doesn't happen. Romney down there with big money right now. Proud to be from ND, the state that delivered Santorums largest margin of victory in any State to Date. If the people will let Newt know that he needs to take another plan, then there is a lot of hope. I'm sure that if he stays on a win for himself from Al. & Miss. the party is over for both him and Santorum & the most Conservative path for the Nation............but the most liberal path is not Mitt, it is Obama.! Ron Paul deserves a spot in an administration.......a Constitutional watchdog appointment to keep all mindful of whether a plan is meeting the constitutional test. Many of his Positions on Domestic issues, no conservative can argue with. .........keep that in your sites. Game on! Lets play it for the team!

[tmn]

All of these Republican candidates should stay in it until the end. Don't give up now!