Newt Gingrich In Florida Primary: I'm Not Charlie Crist

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Newt Gingrich's large win in Saturday's South Carolina primary has led, inevitably, to the follow-up question: Can he parlay that moment into victory in the upcoming Florida primary?

There are obvious obstacles confronting the former House speaker. Florida is a much larger state with multiple media markets -- meaning that a candidate with actual money has a better chance of succeeding than one operating off of momentum. Add to that the absentee ballot advantages that Mitt Romney enjoys -- according to the Miami Herald, more than 185,400 absentee ballots have been cast so far -- and the fact that the Romney campaign has been running ads in the Sunshine State for weeks now, and it makes for an uphill battle for Gingrich.

So how does he win? Gingrich, on "Meet The Press" Sunday morning, said that in Florida, his case would be pretty "simple."

"You have a clear establishment candidate in Mitt Romney," he said. "Look where his money comes from, look at his background, look at what he did in Massachusetts."

On this front, Gingrich should get a nice assist from an allied super PAC, Winning Our Future.

In an interview with MSNBC Sunday morning, Rick Tyler, Gingrich's longtime spokesman who now helps head the super PAC, laid out a simple plan for the week ahead: tie Romney to Charlie Crist, the one-time beloved Florida governor who lost both his popularity and chances of serving in the Senate seat when he chose to be the moderate alternative to Tea Partier-turned-senator Marco Rubio.

"There's been a winnowing out of the conservative contenders," said Tyler. "I think Newt is now the only one left standing. So, if 75 percent of the party doesn't want Mitt and the Republican Party is acting like nominating Mitt is like getting a wildcat into a trash can, then I think the job is simple. We simply align Newt Gingrich with the 75 percent who don't want Mitt. I think here in Florida, all we have to do is remind people that Mitt Romney is Charlie Crist. If you voted for Charlie Crist, then you should vote for Mitt. If you didn't vote for Charlie Crist, then you should vote for Newt."

Comments

[l78lancer]

03:44 AM on 01/24/2012

Newt is making a few serious miscalculations.

1. Charlie Is still popular and likable, even if he did lose to Rubio. Rubio on the other hand has lost some of his shine just has the Tea Party has.

2. Newt is as unlikable as Charlie is likable.

3. There are many northern transplant in Florida with whom Newt's message will not resonate.

4. Newt will have trouble selling his immigration plan to the hispanic community.

5. To some blacks Newt represents the face of the old south: Jesse Helms, Strom Thrumond, Bull Connor, George Wallace. His divisive message and acid rhetoric reinforces that (his "food stamp president" statement will never go over in the black community.)

If he wins the Florida primary it will only mask the level of galvanization in the state against him for the fall election.

[Equinator]

12:37 PM on 01/23/2012

Vote for Steven

[den1953]

12:28 PM on 01/23/2012

Aw yes the hype of South Carolina like what Bush did the the nation about Iraq so goes the Republican primary in South Carolina, like those Tea Party billions that were thought to have the Republican Party under there spell. The Republican Party is good for hype but no substance and fortunately for the nation other states will decide the nomination and who ends up in the White House, spin and hype with no facts works for the short term but in the long term voters will decide for there own good!

[sunbeltvoter]

12:14 PM on 01/23/2012

"If you do not like Charlie Crist and rather like voting for Medicare fraudsters like Rick Scott, have we got a piece of czit candidate for you to love: Newt Leroy Getrich, now appearing in Florida on his national book tour."

Yep, appeal to the real base Republican voters. Sadly it might work.

[jamenvironmental]

10:01 AM on 01/23/2012

As a Floridian I will tell you that even the republicans I know regret Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and especially Allen West. Each one is worse then the other. That said, I am thrilled with the current GOP slate, Rick, Newt or Mitt ..... not a one of them can beat Obama and the Dem's and the Repub's all know it, that is why the best of the canidates they could have run are either gone or never entered the race.

[Ed Piedra]

08:51 AM on 01/23/2012

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/fla-pastor-courted-rick-santorum-derides-mormons
------ Learn about mormon faith. A must read. !

[WiltonDiary]

04:50 AM on 01/23/2012

Newt / Al West 2012

[l78lancer]

03:46 AM on 01/24/2012

Now that is funny.

[SitandStay]

03:08 AM on 01/23/2012

Newtie Gingrich - Always pulling himself up by other peoples bootstraps.
Dole advanced the $300,000 House Speaker Newt Gingrich owed as a penalty for violating ethics rules, giving Gingrich eight years to pay at 10 percent interest.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-dole#ixzz1kGb2DSLQ

[moose and squirrel]

02:33 AM on 01/23/2012

who got thrown out of his leadership post by his own peers?  you aint without your own baggage, newtie.

[cadawa]

03:11 AM on 01/23/2012

...and then quit his job in a huff and crept out of DC disgraced and dishonored.

[LoveTheGame]

11:42 PM on 01/22/2012

No, Newt's not Charlie Crist -- more's the pity. Newt isn't like any admirable person.

[happyphace]

01:38 AM on 01/23/2012

More like a wind up Chucky doll.

[Robin Rae Overholt]

08:40 AM on 01/23/2012

Yeah Chuckie that's who he is!

[Bellabeans]

10:10 AM on 01/23/2012

Perfect description!!!!!!! Just perfect.

[den1953]

12:30 PM on 01/23/2012

Vote for Newt because South Carolina told you to, let the great Republican hype live on!

[Talossa]

11:40 PM on 01/22/2012

So it's official then -- Newt Gingrich is the Anticrist.

[gypsysailor]

12:48 AM on 01/23/2012

No, sorry. That was Ronald Reagan.

[Talossa]

12:42 AM on 01/24/2012

Go back and read what I wrote. Very, very slowly and carefully. :-)

[j b f]

11:32 PM on 01/22/2012

I think Charlie Christ was a more popular Governor than Florida has now .

[OHteach]

11:41 PM on 01/22/2012

I was thinking the same thing and wondering if in light of Rick Scott's tanking popularity,it's so wise, if you're Newt, to compare Mitt to Charlie Christ.

[bison1]

02:28 AM on 01/23/2012

I think so too!

[BCinVA]

10:51 PM on 01/22/2012

It sounds like Newt's campaign advisor is just like Newt. His strategy is just to tell the Florida voters how to vote. Talking down to the voters like that could backfire. Maybe the voters will decide that just because they voted for Rubio doesn't mean they have to vote for Newt.

[happyphace]

01:39 AM on 01/23/2012

We're talking about Florida here. Look who they elected governor.

[kathy smelser]

08:06 AM on 01/28/2012

first they will have to seperate the live voters from those pesky dead voters that keep showing up then the count and the re count and the re re count can begin ...just in Newt stalling

[emrogers]

10:30 PM on 01/22/2012

A perfect example as to why they call it Flori-DUH...

[tjconkster]

12:28 AM on 01/23/2012

I was wondering why my ex moved there....thanks for clearing that up!

[therealslimshady]

10:02 PM on 01/22/2012

Yeah your more like Rick Scott.