Newt Gingrich is down in Iowa, but with voters so unsettled he's not out
Newt Gingrich has dropped like a rock in Iowa polls, but with GOP voters there so unsettled it's premature to count him out. Forty-one percent of likely caucusgoers still might change their minds, a recent poll finds.
Newt Gingrich has dropped like a rock in Iowa polls, but with GOP voters there so unsettled it's premature to count him out. Forty-one percent of likely caucusgoers still might change their minds, a recent poll finds.
There鈥檚 a festive atmosphere at LJ鈥檚 Neighborhood Bar and Grill in Waterloo, Iowa, as Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista, wade through the crowd to take their spot for brief remarks and questions.
After all, it鈥檚 the evening of New Year鈥檚 Day, and the Jan. 3 caucuses are finally at hand. Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, expresses surprise at the size of the crowd 鈥� maybe 200 people packed into the cozy sports bar in the hometown of another GOP presidential competitor, Michele Bachmann.
鈥淥ur schedule said there would be 50 people here. You have really disrupted the schedule," Gingrich deadpans.
But Gingrich may in fact have been a tad taken aback, given that the pundits have given him up for politically dead. According to the latest polls, he鈥檚 now in fourth place, on the downside of a once-surging campaign 鈥� from a commanding lead with 31 percent among likely Iowa caucusgoers three weeks ago to under 14 percent. Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum have passed him by.
Still, Iowans 鈥� and a few out-of-towners visiting family for the holidays 鈥� flock to see Gingrich. There are Democrats in the house, out for an autograph and a look-see at a historical figure; a college student home on break who plans to caucus with the Republicans on Tuesday, but may still vote for President Obama in November; caucusgoers who may vote for Gingrich or may not; and of course lots of die-hard Gingrich fans sporting Newt stickers and waving signs.
Don鈥檛 count this guy out. Now that he鈥檚 down on his luck, humbled by his crash in the polls after being carpet-bombed by negative ads, some folks here find him endearing. They appreciate the tears he shed last week when asked about his mother, who had mental problems. And over and over, they mention his time in Washington and ability to get things done.
鈥淚 like his ideas, his thoughts, his experience, and dedication,鈥� says Donna Miller of Waterloo. 鈥淚 saw Bachmann and Romney, too, and chose Newt.鈥�
鈥淗e鈥檚 the man with the answers,鈥� says her husband, Ivan Miller.
Indeed, in his appearance here, Gingrich expounded on the space program, global warming, guns, taxes, energy, and the United Nations.
"President Clinton and I negotiated endlessly on welfare reform, balanced budget, and the tax cut,鈥� he said, referring to his four years as House speaker in the 1990s. 鈥淵ou have to think about country more than party or your own position. Nobody else has been as involved in change as I have in those two cycles.鈥�
When asked about his biggest weakness, he and his wife exchanged knowing looks. 鈥淕o ahead,鈥� Callista Gingrich told him. Perhaps an opportunity to express regret about his messy marital past, which hurts him among Iowa鈥檚 large evangelical community? 鈥淐hocolate!鈥� an audience member suggested. But he stuck to his script on the attack ads that have devastated his chances. 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably that I鈥檓 too reasonable and should have responded to the negative ads two weeks sooner,鈥� he said.
But Gingrich clearly isn鈥檛 giving up. He starts his remarks here by noting that the latest Des Moines Register poll, released Saturday night, shows 41 percent of likely caucusgoers still might change their minds on whom to support Tuesday. After the Waterloo appearance, he told Reuters he would not drop out after Iowa, no matter what. He raised $9 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, and said he鈥檒l compete in the next two contests, the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. 聽
Still, if there鈥檚 an Achilles鈥� heel attached to a potential Newt revival, it鈥檚 electability. Polls show Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, as most electable against Mr. Obama, and Republicans here want nothing more than to unseat the president. Still, many say, polls, schmolls, I鈥檓 going to vote for the person I think would make the best president. After all, it鈥檚 been the most volatile of GOP primary seasons; in Gallup polls, the national lead has changed seven times since last May.
Among the undecided at LJ鈥檚, more than one said they had boiled down their choices to Gingrich and Romney. 聽
鈥淚鈥檓 still soaking it all in,鈥� says Joe Nora, a senior at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., who鈥檚 home for the holidays. He caucused for Romney four years ago, but might switch to Gingrich this time. He also doesn鈥檛 rule out voting for Obama next November, which is how he went in 2008. 聽
Nancy Peters of Cedar Falls, Iowa, is firmly in the Republican camp, and says she鈥檚 a fan of all the GOP candidates except the libertarian-leaning Ron Paul. 鈥淚鈥檒l go for either Mitt or Gingrich,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y main concern is who would be the best to beat Obama. I don鈥檛 disagree with Newt, I just don鈥檛 know about electability.鈥澛�