Newt Gingrich
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Newton Leroy “Newt" Gingrich (born June 17, 1943) was a 2012 Republican candidate for President of the United States. Gingrich was the author of the “Contract with America" and served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from January 4, 1995 to January 3, 1999. After resigning from Congress in 1999, Gingrich wrote several books and has served as a political commentator and consultant.[1]
During the period of transition between the Obama and Trump administrations, Gingrich was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported that Gingrich was being considered for health and human services secretary or secretary of state. In November 2016, Gingrich said he would not serve in Trump's cabinet, but that he would be involved in "strategic planning" during the Trump administration.[2]
Biography
Early career
After earning his Ph.D. from Tulane University, Newt Gingrich began his career as an assistant professor of history at West Georgia College. Beginning in 1970, Gingrich taught in the history department; he moved to the geography department in 1974. In 2011, The Washington Post summarized Gingrich's academic and publishing career, writing:[3]
| “ | But early in his career, Gingrich suggested he was ready to abandon academia for politics. He made his first run for public office -- a bid for Congress -- four years after joining the faculty at West Georgia. ... Gingrich has written prolifically, but never so much as when he became an established Beltway politician. He has written or co-written 17 works of nonfiction -- mainly conservative policy books -- and eight novels of the “alternate history” genre. But he hasn’t worked in the field of history in about 33 years, and he never published a scholarly or peer-reviewed book to the best of our knowledge.[4] | ” |
While at West Georgia College, Gingrich also headed the environmental studies program and took multiple unpaid leaves from teaching to pursue a career in politics, according to The Wall Street Journal.[5]
U.S. House of Representatives
Gingrich was first elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, after two unsuccessful runs at the U.S. House in 1974 and 1976. In his 1978 campaign, Gingrich was critical of the leadership of the Republican Party. In a speech to the College Republicans that year, he said:[6]
| “ | Do you like the state of the Republican Party? Do you think you ought to respect Bill Brock because he has done such a great job? Or Richard Nixon, or Gerald Ford, the only incumbent president since Herbert Hoover to lose an election? They have done a terrible job, a pathetic job. In my lifetime, literally in my lifetime, I was born in 1943, we have not had a competent national Republican leader. Not ever! ... Now the reason I am being harshly critical is because I want you all to learn a lesson. When you see somebody doing something dumb, say it. You don't help your party any by neatly sitting off to one side and saying, "God I wish you weren't so stupid." You weaken your party. And when you say it, say it in the press, say it loud, fight, scrap, issue a press release, go make a speech.[4] | ” |
| Possible Trump appointee (first term) |
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| During the 2016 presidential transition of power, Gingrich was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in Donald Trump's (R) first term. |
Full list of possible appointees |
See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025 |
Gingrich would go on to win re-election ten more times, eventually serving as the Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999.[1] Gingrich's time as speaker coincided with a Republican majority operating under what it called the "Contract With America," a pledge to voters to pass certain legislation. In 2014, Gingrich described the contract in an opinion piece for CNN:[7]
| “ | On September 27, 1994, more than 350 candidates for Congress gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign a pledge to the American people, a promise to vote on 10 key reforms if we won a majority in the House of Representatives. ... But more than any particular proposal, the important thing about the document was its form: It was a contract, a real commitment to reform and accountability and renewal. It sought above all to 'restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.'[4] | ” |
On November 6, 1998, Gingrich announced that he would not seek re-election as speaker and would leave Congress at the end of the term. At the time, House Republicans had attempted to challenge his leadership, citing Republican losses in the 1998 mid-term elections.[8]
Presidential campaign, 2012
Gingrich ran for president in 2012, winning the Republican primaries in South Carolina and Georgia that year. After announcing his candidacy in May 2011, nearly half of Gingrich's staff left the campaign in June. According to The Washington Post, the staff departure was due, in part, to questions over Gingrich's commitment to fundraising and grassroots organizing. The paper reported, "Among the issues leading to the resignations, according to knowledgeable sources, was the two-week vacation that Gingrich and his wife, Callista, insisted upon taking against the advice of his top political staff."[9]
In May 2012, CNN summarized Gingrich's political strategy for the presidential election:Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
2016 presidential election
During the period of transition between the Obama and Trump administrations, Gingrich was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported that Gingrich was being considered for health and human services secretary or secretary of state. In November 2016, Gingrich said he would not serve in Trump's cabinet, but that he would be involved in "strategic planning" during the Trump administration.[2]
Issues
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Gingrich endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[10]
- See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump
Possible 2016 Republican vice presidential candidate
- See also: Possible vice presidential picks, 2016
Gingrich was mentioned in 2016 as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate. Click here for the full list of those who were floated by politicians and news outlets as possible running mates.
Elections
2014
In response to the group "Draft Newt PAC," Gingrich's attorney issued a cease and desist letter asking that his likeness be removed in the group's attempt to draft Gingrich to run in the Virginia U.S. Senate election against incumbent Mark Warner (D-VA).[11]
2012
Gingrich was a candidate for President of the United States in 2012. He officially announced his candidacy in May 2011 via Facebook and Twitter.[12] He suspended his campaign in May 2012 and endorsed Mitt Romney.[13]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Gingrich has been married three times. He had two children with his first wife, Jackie. He remarried in 1981 to Marianne Ginther, whom he divorced in 1999. Gingrich and his current wife, Callista, married in 2000.[1]
See also
- Portal:Elections
- Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election
- Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Biography.com, “Newt Gingrich," accessed September 28, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Post, "Gingrich says he won't hold Cabinet post under Trump," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Newt Gingrich: historian?" December 15, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Gingrich's College Records Show a Professor Hatching Big Plans," January 18, 2012
- ↑ PBS, "1978 speech by Gingrich," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "When Congress kept promise to America," September 26, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "The Speaker steps down," November 6, 1998
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Gingrich presidential campaign implodes," June 9, 2011
- ↑ CBS News, "Newt Gingrich endorses Donald Trump, doesn't rule out being running mate," May 12, 2016
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Gingrich shoots down U.S. Senate bid," accessed September 25, 2013
- ↑ Daily Caller, “Newt’s in: Will announce Wednesday via Facebook and Twitter," May 9, 2011
- ↑ Christian Science Monitor, “Gingrich exits race, endorses Romney," May 2, 2012
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