Newt Gingrich Says Illinois Primary ‘Largely Will Be Romney, Santorum’ ["Reset This Whole Race"?]

ABCNews ^ | March 15, 2012

[Steelfish]

Mar 15, 2012 Newt Gingrich Says Illinois Primary ‘Largely Will Be Romney, Santorum’

ELGIN, Ill.–After two days of campaigning in Illinois, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich told reporters that he believes the race in Illinois “largely will be Romney and Santorum.”

A poll last week from the Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV, showed Gingrich at 12 percent support in the state, while Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were neck and neck, with Romney at 35 percent and Santorum at 31 percent.

Illinois congressman and former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who endorsed Romney for president, told reporters on a fly-around of the state campaigning for Romney Thursday that while he still considered Gingrich a friend he did not support his candidacy for president. “You’ll find that a lot of people who worked with Newt Gingrich over those years aren’t supporting Newt Gingrich. This guy is all over the place. You can’t trust him. There’s always a doubt out there about where this guy’s going to go,” Hastert said.

When asked if Gingrich would have wanted Hastert’s support in the state, Gingrich told reporters, “That would have been fine.”

[Steelfish]

Newt says:

“I’m staying in the race to see if I can’t in the second half of the race-Louisiana is sort of halftime. I want to see if we can’t reset this whole race around the idea of really big ideas and really big solutions and insist that the American people have a chance to vote for a dramatically better future.”

[Praxeologue]

Hasert says Newt "is a friend", but "you can't trust him".

Some friend you are, Denny.

These primaries are scaring the snakes out of the grass for us all to see.

[Kenny]

A poll last week from the Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV, showed Gingrich at 12 percent support in the state, while Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were neck and neck, with Romney at 35 percent and Santorum at 31 percent.

So now Newt is going to give IL to Romney. Gotta love it.

[Mountain Mary]

I am getting dramatically and fundamentally tired of hearing about “big ideas and big solutions”. Time to exit right, Newt.

[MichaelCorleone]

Maybe that’s a not-so-subtle way of telling Newt to make a deal with Santorum or drop out altogether. Maybe not but it sounds that way to me.

[Christie at the beach]

The more the insiders talk, the more I like Newt.

Denny, Mr. political correct that lost...

[org.whodat]

Big ideas should buy a hint, he lost. Southern strategy with 2 and 1/2 states, that is so funny.

[Josh Painter]

Hastert is a Tom DeLay crony who Gingrich fought on the George H. W. Bush “Read My Lips” tax increase. Hastert was for it. Newt was against it.

[Steelfish]

You nailed it. His quitting the race is long overdue. Internal polls show that 57% of Newt’s vote would migrate to Santorum if he should quit. Without Newt in Arkansas, Santorum chalked up 51% of the vote. At this point, Newt is aiding and abetting a Romney nomination. Time for Newt’s ardent followers to open their minds and ears to what is occurring and decamp him.

Newt needs to give a rest to his “big ideas” of permanent moon-based colonies within eight years and $2.50 gas/gallon within two years regardless of world markets or geopolitical conditions.

[mylife]

Cant we make them all exit, including Obama?

[TheBattman]

I dunno- maybe Newt’s advice in opening a bar to high school students this morning might help him out?

[Bizhvywt]

“Hasert says Newt “is a friend”, but “you can’t trust him”.”

This is true. The Republicans in the House never new what Newt was going to do next; balance the budget 4 years in a row, reform welfare, etc. While with Hasert as Speaker we could “trust” him to do nothing conservative at all.

I think sometimes you can judge a man by his enemies.

[Antoninus]

he still considered Gingrich a friend he did not support his candidacy for president. “You’ll find that a lot of people who worked with Newt Gingrich over those years aren’t supporting Newt Gingrich. This guy is all over the place. You can’t trust him.

With friends like that...

[Lazlo in PA]

Is there any point to discussing Newt in this thing anymore? He is openly ceding IL to the two frontrunners, yet acts like he is going to be a factor somehow down the road. What type of strained logic is that?

You are either in this Primary to fight like hell for what you believe in and win or you are just wasting everyone’s time.

[Yaelle]

Heck, newt is all over the place and can’t be trusted as a candidate!

At least we find out this way and not with him as a president whom all of us would regret having supported.

[South40]

You just wait...Newt is going to kick butt in the south!

Oh...wait...

[meadsjn]

Internal polls show that 57% of Newt’s vote would migrate to Santorum if he should quit.

And then Romney would get 42% of Newt's votes, and enough delegates to win before the convention. Is that what you want?

Newt needs to stay in the race to prevent a Romney nomination, just like he already said.

[newzjunkey]

Four points is hardly "neck and neck" particularly since Senator Sanctimonious couldn't get all his paperwork sorted meaning he can't actually capture every delegate he could've won.

[campaignPete R-CT]

since he is conceding ILL, why is he campaigning there instead of MO and LA?

Or come to CT and keep MITT below the 50% threshold.

[campaignPete R-CT]

I am really shok that nobody got their name of the ballot for May primaries ... an alternative to MITT like Daniels.

If ROMNY fail, they do not give RICK nomination. They end up giving to somebody that never run. If somebody could run, he has more credible by win in Californie and Montanie and Jersie.