Newberry, S.C. -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich doesn’t call Georgia home anymore but he’ll be pulling for the University of Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC championship game Saturday against the Louisiana State University Tigers.
The Republican presidential hopeful, who moved to Northern Virginia after representing Georgia in Congress for 20 years, made his pick known Tuesday night at a town hall meeting organized by the South Carolina Republican Party.
Gingrich first dove deep into politics, lacing his weighty speech with serious references to the nation’s founding fathers and military history. But the tone of the town hall meeting turned much lighter during the question-and-answer period. A man from Saluda rose from the balcony and deadpanned: “In light of the recent events, who do you think will win the SEC championship Saturday?”
The audience packed into the Newberry Opera House erupted in laughter.
Gingrich started to respond: “The way you ask that question -- of a former congressman from Georgia?”
More laughter ensued.
Someone in the crowd shouted “LSU!” The undefeated Tigers are a heavy favorite to win Saturday.
Gingrich continued: “Let me just say this is an act of faith, not an act of rational calculation.” More laughter. “But I am going to be pulling for Georgia. And we are not going to talk after the game – unless Georgia wins.”
Gingrich, who is making a three-day campaign swing through the Palmetto State, also joked about his pudginess when a woman asked about his health. He said he gets a physical exam yearly and that his health is fine.
But he added: “Everybody who knows me tells me I should lose weight. They are all correct. I just find it really hard to lose weight. God really wanted me to be a bear, not a gazelle.”
The crowd erupted in laughter again. Then Gingrich turned more serious.
“On the other hand,” he said, “I can tell you that I can work on four or five hours of sleep a night and catnap all day. And I can go for eight or 10 days in a row on the road and it doesn’t seem to affect me. And I have been doing it for virtually my entire lifetime.”
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