LAS VEGAS -- Former Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich delivered a fiery closing argument here on the eve of Nevada's Republican caucuses, predicting he would win the GOP nomination and taking several swings at Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama.
Coming off a tough loss in Florida and now trailing Romney by 20 points in a new Nevada poll, the former House speaker vowed to fight for the nomination all the way to the Republican National Convention in August. He questioned Romney’s conservative credentials, calling him "Obama-lite.” And he challenged the former Massachusetts governor to another debate.
Gingrich, who reportedly was paid more than $1 million as a consultant to mortgage giant Freddie Mac, also said Congress should investigate the government-sponsored organization along with Fannie Mae, saying they are making it harder to refinance mortgages.
At stake in Nevada are 28 delegates. Romney is the heavy favorite to win here Saturday, like he did in the 2008 caucuses. Even some of Gingrich’s supporters were predicting Friday that he won’t do better than second place, though they said Gingrich could claim a victory by capturing some of Nevada’s delegates, which are allocated based on the votes the candidates get.
Gingrich stuck to a lighter public campaign schedule for the third day in a row even as he attempted to rebound from a tough couple of days and gain ground on Romney. Gingrich had just two public campaign stops planned for Friday -- one at a country music nightclub and another at the International Church of Las Vegas.
Romney, meanwhile, trained most of his fire on Obama. Responding to news that the jobless rate had dropped to its lowest level since 2009, Romney noted that about 24 million Americans are still looking for work. "We're the strongest economy in the world and people have suffered enough, I think unnecessarily," he said. "The president didn't cause this downturn ... but he didn't make it better. He made it worse."
Seeking to maximize his take on Saturday, candidate Ron Paul campaigned in Nye County, one of the two counties in the state he carried in the 2008 GOP caucuses. Paul exhorted an enthusiastic crowd to go vote, saying, “Let’s ... send a strong message.”
The fourth candidate in the race, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, skipped Nevada on Friday to campaign in Missouri, which holds a nonbinding primary next week.
Gingrich's lighter public schedule partly reflected his efforts to privately raise more funds he could use to sustain his campaign through Super Tuesday, when Republicans in Georgia and many other delegate-rich states are scheduled to make their picks.
The former speaker struggled to gain traction over the past few days amid flubs by his campaign, including an abrupt cancellation of a meeting Wednesday with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. Gingrich came out swinging Friday at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, a South Las Vegas Boulevard spot where women can win free bikinis competing in mechanical bull-riding contests. His enthusiastic performance brought his cheering supporters to their feet on the sawdust-covered barroom floor.
Gingrich quoted from a televised interview in which billionaire philanthropist George Soros -- a major backer of liberal causes -- said there “isn’t all that much difference” between Romney and Obama.
"It isn't good enough for the Republican Party to nominate Obama-lite," Gingrich said of Romney. “I do not believe the Republican Party wants to nominate a George Soros-approved candidate. I think we want a candidate who represents Americans who work, pays taxes and believes in the Declaration of Independence, not somebody who clearly is against the American ideals.”
Gingrich also slapped at Romney for the second time in as many days for saying he was "not concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net." The multimillionaire later said he misspoke and that he meant to say he was focused on helping the middle class but would work to patch any holes in the safety net for the poor.
“That is not a very clever thing for somebody who is very wealthy to say,” Gingrich said of Romney’s “booboo.” “Talk about every possible example of what we don’t want in a general election candidate.”
Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg responded to Gingrich's comments in an email Friday, pointing out that Soros' foundation contributed to the organization that paid for a 2008 TV ad Gingrich appeared in with then-Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The ad calls for action against climate change.
“Newt Gingrich’s flailing attacks are the sign of a candidate trying to distract from his own record to save his sinking campaign," Henneberg said.
Gingrich also highlighted his proposals to shore up the housing market and boost the economy in Nevada, which like Georgia, is suffering from high foreclosure and unemployment rates. He said he would seek to cut taxes, scrap regulations and develop more American energy.
Gingrich blamed housing mortgage giant Freddie Mac for contributing to the collapse in the housing market but then did work consulting with the organization. He said he has opposed giving it more federal funding and added that Congress should investigate it along with Fannie Mae, arguing they are making it harder to refinance mortgages.
Chris Lowden, one of the co-owners of the nightclub where Gingrich spoke, is among those who have suffered from the collapse in Nevada’s real estate market and construction industry. His nightclub is located in a forlorn, sand-colored strip mall that is mostly vacant. He said he also has had trouble selling property in town.
“It is a struggle to stay open,” he said as he stood outside his business. “Everything is a fight. We are hoping we are through the worst of it and can move on.”
Janice Wesen, a homemaker from Las Vegas, showed up to see Gingrich at the nightclub Friday. She has watched her Las Vegas home's value rise and fall dramatically with the housing market. She said she plans to vote for Gingrich on Saturday but predicted Romney will win.
“I have hope that everyone will show up and do their caucus and that it will work out,” she said before adding about Gingrich: “If he doesn’t win, at least he will have a good strong showing."
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