Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Hotline On Call at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night that he intends to officially launch a presidential campaign for the next election cycle in the foreseeable future, perhaps even as early as this upcoming week.
The Republican presidential aspirant told the outlet, "I'll be in by the 10th or 11th."
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Tom Fitzgerald wrote in a tweet last week that Gingrich informed reporters at the Union League in Philadelphia that an announcement on his plans for 2012 was imminent. The former House Speaker said to watch his Twitter and Facebook for word on his decision.
However, leading up to the launch of Gingrich's presidential exploratory committee several months ago, there was significant disorganization and confusion surrounding the potential candidate's plans. NBC's "First Read" described the bungled rollout at the time as "quintessential Newt."
When he was speaker, there was always an air of disorganization and around him and his team, but he made up for it by being one of the smartest guys in the room. And that's the goal for this campaign.
The Des Moines Register reported:
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich acknowledged in a Des Moines Register interview Monday that his team bobbled the news last week before the announcement Thursday that he planned to begin raising money to explore seeking the 2012 GOP presidential nod.
Back in March, CNN reported that Gingrich was leaning toward running for president. The former House Speaker said at the time that he hoped to have an official campaign underway by the end of May, launching from Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Should he decide to run, however, Gingrich indicated his headquarters would be based in Atlanta.
Jim Galloway at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Sunday night:
So far, we haven’t heard anything about Gingrich walking back his assertion that his campaign will begin in Atlanta, his former stomping grounds -- and where he said his effort will be at least partially headquartered.
When Gingrich announced his presidential exploratory committee back in March, the AP reported:
Getting into the race would mark a comeback attempt for Gingrich, who led the Republican Party to a sweeping victory in the midterm elections of 1994. It gave the GOP a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Gingrich rose to House speaker in 1995, but was effectively ousted by his own party four tumultuous years later.
A spending fight between Gingrich and President Bill Clinton led to a shutdown of part of the federal government in 1995 and 1996. He left Congress in 1999. In recent years, he's stayed in the public eye speaking on issues from health care to foreign affairs.