Gingrich plans to suspend campaign next week

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks in Cramerton, N.C., Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Chuck Burton

UPDATED 3:10 p.m. ET

(CBS News) CRAMERTON, N.C. - Newt Gingrich on Wednesday unofficially conceded the Republican presidential race to Mitt Romney, calling on conservatives to unite behind the presumptive nominee. His campaign spokesman said he will formally suspend his bid next week.

After Romney's clean sweep of five primaries on Tuesday -- including Delaware, where Gingrich had staked the remainder of his tattered campaign -- the former House speaker said in a speech to the Gaston County GOP that "it's pretty clear Governor Romney is going to be the nominee."

"I think you have to at some point be honest with what's happening in the real world, as opposed to what you'd like to have happened," Gingrich said. "Governor Romney had a very good day yesterday. He got 67 [percent] in one state, and he got 63 in other, 62 in another. Now you have to give him some credit. I mean this guy's worked six years, put together a big machine, and has put together a serious campaign."

"I think obviously that I would be a better candidate, but the objective fact is the voters didn't think that," Gingrich said. "And I also think it's very, very important that we be unified."

Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told CBS News/National Journal that Gingrich would suspend his campaign next week, perhaps as early as Monday. He said Gingrich spoke to Romney on Wednesday morning and the two are planning an event at which Gingrich will formally throw his support to Romney.

Gingrich's national campaign chairman, Bob Walker, told CBS News/National Journal that the discussions include "the details that would be necessary to go forward with what I assume to be a role for Newt over the next several months." He said he didn't know if that included a convention role.

Until he officially suspends his bid, Gingrich will presumably maintain his Secret Service detail, which is costing taxpayers roughly $44,000 per day but allows him security that's cost-free to the campaign. On Friday, he reported being $4.3 million in debt--a casualty he attributes to trying to compete with Romney in Florida. Gingrich won only two states during the primary season, South Carolina and his home state of Georgia.

Gingrich said in Cramerton that he would continue to campaign in North Carolina through the week "as a citizen." Later, addressing an upset supporter in King's Mountain, he explained his decision this way: "Sometimes the mountain gets bigger than your ability to climb it."

[newsterrrr]

said in a speech to the Gaston County GOP that "it's pretty clear Governor Romney is going to be the nominee."

That was OBVIOUS weeks ago, what was the clue that finally got you to wake up and smell the coffee Mr gingivitus?

YAY, another right winger bites the dust!

[jonnyooh]

What is America gonna do now? Ging would have been the best Republican president since George W.

[kbbpll]

Candidate Blowhard, we'll miss you.

[A_Canadian_Opinion]

Kinda like the Pittsburgh Penguins saying they're going to quit the NHL playoffs next week. Weird!

[starving1968-3]

by fedup12 April 25, 2012 6:54 PM EDT
is he suspending it so he can come take care of the economy like McCain did...

What a joke.






Did you see Frontline on PBS yesterday talking about McCain suspending his campaign?

[mick7744]

Gingrich on Stupidity:
"No one understands me. The thing I find most disheartening of this campaign is the difficulty of talking about large ideas on a large scale, because the news media can't cover it and candidly, my opponents can't comprehend it."

****************************************

Isn't that just what Adolph said at the end?

"Nazism failed because the German people were not worthy of my genius"

If this money-grubbing, tail-sniffing carpetbagger is so awesomely intelligent, why is he always saying and doing such awesomely stupid things?

The Pillsbury Poppin' Fresh Dough Perv...the only roll-model for all aspiring GOP corrupt politicians, serial adulterers and pseudo-intellectual hustlers to emulate...

"When the sleazy congregate, they call Neut, boss"

It is to be hoped that he STAYS gone this time...his continued existence grows more and more offensive

[venusvegasvada]

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's pioneered the use of "the big lie" in brainwashing public opinion. I.E. Using the public's trust and common sense as a weapon against themselves. They proved it worked.

The thought process goes that the bigger and more complicated the lie you tell the public, the more believable it would be to the public.

The wilder and larger the lie and claims, the more believable it would be as the public would assume it HAD to be true, otherwise how could such a thing possibly be presented by anyone unless it was the truth?

I think there is more than a little in common between Adolf's "the big lie" and what Newt and the RNC accomplished via their GOPACK memo plan. Twisting things by using Negative vs Positive words as weapons to slander opponents and "stretching" if not outright lying about the past defiantly work in their favor in many cases.

It's only when people are aware of things like the GOPACK Memo and what it details and the history of "the big lie" are people armed with the tools to recognize just what people like Newt were trying to do when they start opening their mouths.

[aintfakin]

kind of scary Sanctiscrotum actually found reality before Mr Toadgritch

[mick7744]

THE NEUT GINGRICH STORY...BIMBOS, BUTTERBALLS AND BROKEN MARRIAGES!

The stirring saga of one man's futile search for a tiny spsrk of relevance in a hostile world where he's known far too well...

COMING SOON TO A PORNO SHOP NEAR YOU!

And for a limited time only...Neut will autograph the sex-aid of your choice for only $50 (batteries sold seperately)

[venusvegasvada]

Newt is shifting into save my skin mode.

After months of totally dumping on everyone; the candidates, the GOP, news agencies and the American public, he now tries to reverse course and start sucking up in a pathetic attempt to get some free money flowing into his bank accounts.

Let's take a quick look back at Mr. Wonderful and some of the things that have been said.

-Gingrich:
"We will be in Tampa as the nominee in August"

-Gingrich on bouncing a check in Utah:
"This is one of those goofy things"

-Gingrich on Romney:
-"a very good salesman" hocking a "really weak product" - and who has been "dancing on eggs trying to find a version of Romney that will work."

-"breathtaking scale of dishonesty"

-"I have had grits before"

-"I challenge Gov. Romney and his super PAC to pledge to take every negative ad about every Republican off the air, because it dishonors them, it weakens the Republican Party, and it helps Barack Obama"

-Chris Christie:
called Gingrich an "embarrassment" to the Republican party.

-Bob Dole:
When asked if he thought Gingrich had a chance to be president, he responded, "I hope not."

See more of Bob Dole's excellent comments about Gingrich here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57367204-503544/bob-dole-hopes-gingrich-has-no-chance-to-be-president/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

CBS News, The 10 nastiest things Gingrich said about Romney:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57421289-503544/the-ten-nastiest-things-newt-gingrich-has-said-about-mitt-romney/?tag=cbsnewsLeadStoriesArea

-Recap- A taste of Newt's social values:
Newt sleeps with his teacher whom he eventually marries, then divorces when she has cancer and says she wasn't First Lady potential anyway. Marries 2nd wife with whom he was cheating on the 1st wife, divorces her when he finds out she has MS. Marries 3rd wife with whom he had been carrying out an 8 year affair. In that time he went from being a Baptist to Lutheran to Catholic.


Andrea Saul, responding to a Gingrich attack on Romney-
Gingrich "is desperate to distract from his record of failed and unreliable leadership" to try to bolster his campaign. It is laughable to see lectures on honesty coming from a paid influence peddler who suffered an unprecedented ethics reprimand, was forced to pay a $300,000 penalty and resigned in disgrace at the hands of his own party,"

Gingrich on Romney:
"Unlike Governor Romney, I care deeply about helping the poorest Americans. I believe the Declaration of Independence is a commitment that our creator endowed us the right to pursue happiness... And one of the challenges of conservatism is to turn the safety net into a trampoline."

Gingrich on Stupidity:
"No one understands me. The thing I find most disheartening of this campaign is the difficulty of talking about large ideas on a large scale, because the news media can't cover it and candidly, my opponents can't comprehend it."

And much more...

Only in America could a guy like Newt make it as far as he did. American truly is the land of opportunity.

[nearl451]

Sounds to me like he is already declaring his campaign a dead albotross.

Why wait til next week? Bury the stench today.