Newt Gingrich to Campaign in Rhode Island
Friday, April 06, 2012
Republican Presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will travel to Rhode Island ahead of the April 24 primary, multiple sources tell GoLocalProv.
While the candidate’s schedule has yet to be confirmed, Gingrich, who is running a distant third to Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, is expected to hold a rally in the Ocean State the week before the primary. His wife Callista will also make the trip.
Although Romney is widely expected to prevail in Rhode Island, a visit from Gingrich could help rejuvenate a Party that has fallen on hard times in recent months, first with the departure of well-connected chairman Ken McKay and with the revelation that the Party had just $590 in its federal campaign account.
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Gingrich, who tends to be more popular in southern states, has struggled to raise money in Rhode Island during his campaign. As of Dec. 31, the candidate had raised jus $9,565 from Rhode Islanders, campaign finance records show.
Westerly Town Councilman Caswell Cooke, who is heading up Gingrich’s volunteer staff in the Ocean State, did not immediately return a request for comment.
The trip wouldn’t be Gingrich’s first to Rhode Island. In 2004, he was the keynote speaker at a health care conference hosted by former Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
Dave Talan, Corresponding Secretary for the State GOP, confirmed he met with the Gingrich campaign this week and has offered his services to help the candidate. He said that while he is supporting Santorum, he believes any appearance by a Presidential candidate is good for the Party.
“It creates a lot of excitement,” Talan said. “This is the kind of thing that is a really good thing as long as you keep people involved.”
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