Newt Gingrich appeared to announce a run for the White House on Monday, telling his followers that he'll discuss his bid on national television Wednesday.
"I have been humbled by all the encouragement you have given me to run," Gingrich, a former Georgia congressman, said in a posting to his Facebook page. "Thank you for your support."
Gingrich encouraged the 125,000 people who subscribe to his Facebook feed and his 1.36 million Twitter followers to watch him on Fox News Channel at 9 p.m. Wednesday, where he said he "will be on to talk about my run for president of the United States."
The Associated Press quickly declared the message to be a statement of candidacy. But Rick Tyler, spokesman for Gingrich, said that -- at least for the next 48 hours -- the former U.S. House speaker remains in the "exploratory" phase of his decision-making. He will not become a formal candidate until he makes it official on Wednesday, with a more definitive statement.
While Monday's message may have fallen short short of a full-on declaration of candidacy, Gingrich's aides and supporters have been gearing up for an announcement for several weeks. Aides previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Gingrich would formally jump in this week.
Gingrich is opening a campaign office in Buckhead and will give his first speech as a candidate to the Georgia Republican Party's convention Friday night in Macon.
A 10-term member of Congress and a former speaker of the U.S. House, Gingrich has spent more time in suburban Washington in recent years than in Georgia, where he lived and worked for decades. Still, the charismatic and erudite former college professor retains key support among Georgia Republicans, including Gov. Nathan Deal and his predecessor, former Gov. Sonny Perdue.
"I'm pleased to hear that he's taking that step," Deal told the AJC. "He was being obviously cautious as he approaches that decision. Perhaps before the end of the week we'll know that he's formally in the race."
Gingrich is one of two GOP candidates with Georgia ties. Former executive and radio host Herman Cain is also running. Cain is fresh off a widely lauded performance in a Republican candidates' debate in South Carolina last week.
Gingrich has behaved like a candidate for months since officially creating a presidential exploratory committee, which allowed him to raise and spend money on a potential bid. He announced that move from Deal's office in March in an event that drew national media who had expected Gingrich to announce his candidacy.
Gingrich has also visited the key states of Iowa and South Carolina and stumped across Georgia, and he will be able to call upon a huge network of supporters he has developed over the past several years. Since leaving public office in 1998, Gingrich has created a number of think tanks and policy centers, including the Atlanta-based Center for Health Transformation.
The Wall Street Journal on Monday reported that these groups could give Gingrich a sizable advantage. The paper said Gingrich has gathered more than 1.7 million voter and donor contacts and raised $32 million for the organizations' efforts.
About the Author
