Gingrich: I'll be tied with Romney by April

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said he will stay in the presidential nominating race "beyond Texas," which holds its primary in April and after voters and caucus-goers in more than 30 states will have voiced their preference.

After a decisive loss in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, Gingrich told CBS News' "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer that he will be the Republican nominee, and he outlined his plan on how to get there.

Gingrich told Schieffer that will receive help from a former presidential contender with a large donor base.

"My goal is, with Governor Perry's help and others, to basically be tied in delegates [with Mitt Romney] by the time we come out of Texas," Gingrich said.

When Texas Governor Rick Perry dropped out of the race before the South Carolina primary in January, he endorsed the former House Speaker. With endorsements often comes financial support and a network of contacts and donors, which Perry has.

"We had a very good series of fund-raising meetings and calls over the last couple of days," Gingrich said.

During a news conference after he was declared a distant second-place finisher in the Nevada caucuses, Gingrich talked about his immediate plans for the next nominating contests.

"We will leave on Monday to go to Denver and then to Minneapolis, and then we will go on to four cities in Ohio," he said Saturday. "I expect the debate to continue for a long time."

Schieffer noted that the fight between Gingrich and Romney has gotten more intense in recent weeks, and asked Gingrich if he would support Romney should he be the nominee. Gingrich admitted that he would.

"I believe that President Obama is such a direct threat to the future of this country that I will support the Republican nominee," Gingrich said. "I think the re-election of President Obama is a disaster."

Gingrich continued: "That doesn't mean that I approve of Governor Romney's approach, but compared to President Obama, I think there will be no choice."

Currently, Gingrich's finances are not nearly as strong as the front-runner Romney's, which makes it more difficult to pay for advertisements and staff. But Gingrich told Schieffer he is confident he has support.

"I think there are a lot of people coming to me and saying, 'We need one conservative candidate as an alternative,'" Gingrich said. "They're prepared to help raise money [for me] to be that candidate."