Gingrich Expects Santorum to Have ‘Pretty Good Day’ Tuesday
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Jessica McGowan/Getty Images(GOLDEN, Colo.) — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich made a condensed campaign stop in Colorado Monday, attending two events in Golden — his only effort in the state this election cycle.
Gingrich also held one event in Minnesota on the eve of the caucus/primary day for the two states.
The former House speaker will not hold an election party on Tuesday, a sign that he is hedging his bets on Super Tuesday.
Gingrich and Rick Santorum crossed paths Monday in Colorado at an energy forum, and Gingrich was asked whether the two spoke about dropping out of the race while in a state in which Santorum is expected to do well.
“Oh, neither of us is going to get out of the race. We are both busy having a good time, and I think you’re actually going to find that the three candidates who are currently in the race, for example between them, for all practical purposes, tied Mitt Romney in a state that was supposed to be very good for him in Nevada, so three of us will actually get as many delegates as he does,” Gingrich said.
When asked if Gingrich thought Santorum should drop out, Gingrich said he’s a “free agent,” but predicted Santorum would have a “pretty good day” Tuesday and “earned it.”
“He targeted it differently than I did. I was out of state in Florida to fight it out despite being outspent five to one and for me that was the right decision,” Gingrich said. “He took the same amount of time and energy and he came to Minnesota, and Missouri and Colorado and for him that was the right decision.”
Gingrich said his challenge in the next states would be early voting and admittedly is looking ahead to Super Tuesday.
“Forty percent of the vote in Florida is cast before the primary, and so, you know, we’ve got Arizona where we’ll be in the very near future, we have Ohio, which happens to fit our travel plans right now. We’ll be in four cities in Ohio tomorrow and Wednesday, and you have Tennessee, which is also starting, I think, on the 15th, so it certainly makes your whole process of targeting vastly more complex than it used to be,” Gingrich said.
Gingrich also hit Romney, saying he has no electability, citing polls that show Obama is ahead of Romney nationally.
“I think if you look today, for example, electability was Romney’s great advantage, well he get’s beat by Obama in a poll this morning,” Gingrich said. “I’m within two points as good as Romney is, despite all the media, so how does go out and argue that he’s the more electable.”
In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, Obama is at 51 percent and Romney at 45 percent.
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