Between now and July 15, we’ll get (almost) the full picture of campaign fundraising from the opening round of the 2012 presidential contest. And if you’re looking for a stunning turnaround from Newt Gingrich, don’t hold your breath.
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times caught up with the embattled Gingrich in Iowa and asked him to weigh in on his campaign finance report, which will come after a quarter that’s seen his presidential campaign both kickoff and crash spectacularly.
The Times‘ Seema Mehta reported the numbers will be “bleak.”
“The fact is a month of media barrage is painful, and it slowed a lot of things down,” Gingrich told the paper. “Our numbers will not be as good as we would like, and candidly, the consultants left us in debt. But every single week since they left we’ve been cutting down the debt, and we raise more than we spend in a week.”
Most Republican candidates are required to release their reports by July 15. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is expected to lead the pack with a haul between $15-20 million.