Newt Gingrich met privately Wednesday at the Capitol with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston, but left the Gold Dome without either's endorsement.
Gingrich's staff was coy when asked if such support was forthcoming in advance of Tuesday's Georgia Republican presidential primary: "Stay tuned," a spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Gingrich rival Mitt Romney's campaign released his "Georgia steering committee" that was, in essence, a repackaged list of people who have already endorsed the former Massachusetts governor. A steering committee, the campaign said, is responsible for taking Romney's message to voters back home.
Less than a week before Tuesday's Georgia Republican presidential primary, several candidates are touting their backing by some of Georgia's most powerful politicians. But there's little evidence that endorsements by one, two or even 20 state officials matter.
Dan McLagan, a veteran Georgia Republican political consultant, said in a statewide race endorsements from local officials won't matter much.
"Endorsements start to become valuable when you get to the statewide elected official level," McLagan, who is not involved in the presidential race, said.
Under that metric, however, the race for Georgia's 76 delegates should be a near three-way tie between Gingrich, Romney and former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum.
Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker and long-time Georgia congressman, has the support of four current or former statewide elected officials -- Gov. Nathan Deal, former Gov. Zell Miller and Public Service Commission members Stan Wise and Lauren "Bubba" McDonald. Five of the state's eight GOP congressmen have also endorsed Gingrich.
Romney has been endorsed by Attorney General Sam Olens, Labor Commissioner Mark Butler and Public Service Commission member Doug Everett. Santorum, meanwhile, counts the backing of Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens and PSC members Tim Echols and Chuck Eaton.
Yet, even some of those doing the endorsing doubt whether their backing of a candidate moves the needle.
"They help, but we've got an intelligent and informed electorate and they're going to do their research and decide which candidates line up with their values," Rep. Sam Teasley, R-Marietta, who has endorsed Santorum, said.
Some endorsements mean more than others, too. There are those elected officials who agree to have their name listed, but that's the extent of their effort. There are others, like Sen. Judson Hill, R-Marietta, who has traveled to other states to knock on doors for Gingrich.
Greg Baldwin of Whitesburg, who said he's still deciding on his choice of candidate, said endorsements do matter -- but not in politics.
"The only place they really play any kind of role for me is in the realm of personal references, for personal business," Baldwin said.
Shawn Hall of Grant Park, who describes himself as a socially liberal, fiscally conservative independent, sees it a little differently.
"They do [matter]," Hall said, "but not always in a positive manner."
A candidate who gets endorsed by a socially conservative organization like Focus on the Family would be unlikely to get his vote, Hall said, adding that the Republican and Democratic parties have forced the country into choosing from among extremes when most Americans are in the political center.
There are instances where endorsements make a difference. In the 2010 Republican gubernatorial runoff, Gingrich endorsed Deal, as did former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Georgia presidential primary. Deal came from behind to beat Karen Handel for the nomination.
Handel is perhaps the best example of the illusory nature of endorsements. She won the most coveted endorsement of the campaign: former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. While Palin packed a Buckhead ballroom for Handel, the result was minimal: Handel lost the next day.
Among governors, endorsements have not yet been much of a hit with voters. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorsed and campaigned for Romney, who was trounced in the Palmetto State by Gingrich. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval originally endorsed Rick Perry for the nomination but remained neutral after Perry dropped out. Romney won Nevada’s caucuses.
Among U.S. senators, the record is a tad better. U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire endorsed Romney for president and the former Massachusetts governor won that state’s January primary. But Roy Blunt, senator from Missouri, also backed Romney only to see Santorum win there. The same was true in Minnesota, where former Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Romney, who lost the state to Santorum.
Back in Georgia, even though legislators and other elected officials might be on opposite sides of the GOP primary race, or vowing to stay out of it altogether, they share a common goal, as summed up by Cagle, the lieutenant governor.
"Personally, I am in the ‘Anybody But Obama' camp," Cagle said.
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