Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) now appears to be on track for a presidential run.
Jim Galloway of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
In the last 24 hours, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has touched base with several prominent Republicans in his former home state, telling them that he intends to make a run for president in 2012 using Georgia as his base – and that he already has his eye on office space in Buckhead for a campaign headquarters.
Gingrich met on Thursday with [Governor] Nathan Deal, whom Gingrich endorsed during a critical phase of last year’s Republican primary for governor.
[TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers: Ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)]
Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler told Galloway that his boss’s schedule for a decision has not changed: “His plans are to decide on whether to create an exploratory committee in late February, and make a decision about his candidacy in March.”
Galloway’s reference to Georgia as Gingrich’s “former home state” refers to the fact that Gingrich, though a former Georgia Congressman, primarily lives in Virginia. However, when questioned Gingrich is often quick to point out how much time he still spends in the state, and how his offices remain there.
