Ever since former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich stepped down from his elected post, he has been laying the groundwork for a comeback many expect to culminate with him running for the Republican presidential nomination. He has created a network of advocacy and for-profit groups that have given him a publicity and policy machine that none of his rivals have, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Gingrich’s groups include, American Solutions, which trains future GOP candidates; the Center for Health Transformation, a for-profit company that seeks to lower healthcare costs; Gingrich Productions, a film production company; and Americano, an conservative bilingual news and commentary site.
His network has collected more than 1.7 million voter and donor contacts, and has raised more than $32 million over the last two years. That’s more than all the other potential Republican presidential candidates combined.
It’s not clear, however, if his money and organizational advantage will translate into the GOP presidential nod.
"No question Newt is an ideas machine, and he'll add intellectual heft to the debate," said Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush. But "he's just been around the track one too many times. At a time when people are hungry for something different, new and refreshing, Newt just feels stale."
Gingrich is convinced, after mulling a White House run for years, that the 2012 election is his moment.
"If we weren't in a period like this, facing incredible dangers across the board, I wouldn't make much sense as a candidate," he said in an interview. "But we are in such a period."
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