After failing in his “must-win” Southern states on Tuesday, Newt Gingrich headed to Chicago to rally supporters in advance of Tuesday’s primary in Illinois. Unfortunately for the former Speaker, only 75 people showed up. It’s been that kind of month for the candidate.
The Gingrich campaign has rallied twice before, but the air has left this balloon and no one, not even those close to the candidate, seriously believes it can be reinflated.
And if Gingrich isn’t going to be the Republican presidential nominee, a growing number of conservatives want to know exactly why he’s sticking around.
A growing number of Republicans are calling for Newt Gingrich to drop out of the presidential race to hasten the selection of a nominee and turn the country’s attention to the fall campaign against President Obama. […]
“There won’t be a lot of public pronouncements, but there will be a lot of private phone calls beginning today,” said conservative strategist Keith Appell, who is supporting Santorum. “As much as Newt may feel that he should stay in, his campaign is really living on borrowed time.” [Update: Appell emails to note that he and his firm are not supporting any specific candidate.]
Richard Viguerie, another prominent Republican supporting Santorum, said Wednesday that he is “urging conservatives” to pressure Gingrich to step aside.
Part of the larger problem is that Gingrich has fared so poorly of late, the circumstances themselves become self-defeating. No one in the political world, including Republicans, is asking, “How can Gingrich get back on track?” Rather, the main question being raised is, “How long is this guy going to drag this process out?”
Once everyone involved in the race is convinced that Gingrich is finished — and they are convinced because he is finished — it becomes impossible to raise money, generate excitement, and recruit volunteers. Who wants to rally behind a candidate whose campaign is on a national death watch? No one.
So, what’s it going to take for the Black Knight to realize he’s lost? There are several dynamics to keep an eye on.









