After many rumors and much speculation, Newt Gingrich has officially suspended his presidential campaign.
Gingrich formally announced his run for office on May 11, 2011.
Stating that “it has been an amazing year for the entire family, former Speaker of the House Gingrich thanked more than 179,000 donors who helped him make the campaign possible. He said that the campaign had “truly been a wild ride”, and that he could have never predicted the high points and the low points of the campaign.
He thanked many people by name during his speech, specifically naming Governor Rick Perry and his wife Anita; Herman Cain; Michael Reagan; and Todd Palin.
During his campaign, Mr. Gingrich won the GOP Primaries in South Carolina and Georgia. Overall, he received 12% of the delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination. Stating he “stood firm for smaller government”, he vowed that he is committed to be an active citizen, and that suspending his campaign does not mean he is suspending his citizenship.
During the course of his speech, he stated his many achievements, saying:
Over my lifetime, I have tried to move the national debate.
Mr. Gingrich said he and his wife Callista will be focusing on American Exceptionalism, America’s History, Liberty (specifically religious liberty), and American energy and independence, saying:
“We can’t be Americans if we have amnesia about who we are.”
He also said he and Callista will be visiting college campuses to talk about personal Social Security savings accounts and re-emphasizing the work ethic, saying he knows it was “controversial” in various debates. He said he would be working to revamp the unemployment process, focusing on education programs being a requirement for those who received unemployment, saying:
“I am going to argue for a romantic American future.”
In the end, he threw his support to opponent Mitt Romney. He said that many people have questioned him as to whether or not Mitt Romney is conservative enough, to which he responded, “Compared to Barack Obama?” He made it clear that “this is not a choice between Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan”, but that it is “a choice between Mitt Romney and the most radical, leftist president in American History.”
He concluded with:
“In the Reagan tradition, I think there is a shining future ahead.”
