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Gingrich Rallies Georgia Voters

The GOP presidential hopeful has a whirlwind day of stump speeches, supporters and a negative straw poll.

 

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich conducted the first campaign blitz of his old Georgia stomping grounds Saturday, and Patch was with him at every stop.

Accompanied by Herman Cain, a fellow Georgian who dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Gingrich, the former House speaker swept through Forsyth, Gwinnett and Cobb counties during the day to rally support for the Republican presidential primary March 6.

In addition, his wife, Callista, rallied supporters in Buckhead.

Will you vote for Newt Gingrich? Let us know in our Patch Poll and the comments below.

The highlights of the day:

  • At South Forsyth High School in the Cumming area, the county Republican Party had hundreds more people arrive than could fit inside the 400-seat theater. The Forsyth gathering’s official purpose was to choose precinct delegates for the county Republican convention, but it became a Gingrich rally.

Cain fired up the crowd by saying Gingrich’s economic plan is the closest thing left in the campaign to his own 9-9-9 tax plan.

Gingrich won support with his call for tapping American oil reserves to drive the price of gasoline down to $2.50 a gallon.

"If he says it, I believe it,” Forsyth County Commission Chairman Jim Boff said.

Following his own advice that Republican candidates should focus on their one real opponent, Obama, Gingrich accused the president of bigotry and dishonesty and said he puts America at risk.

The Gingrich rally came after Rep. Ron Paul beat the former House speaker in a Gwinnett County Republican Party straw poll at the school. Paul got 113 votes, Gingrich 73, former Sen. Rick Santorum 60 and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 25.

Still, his Paulding County campaign co-chair, Linda King of Dallas, said Gingrich has the right message to take on Obama in the fall. “I just think he’s the best one for the nomination. I think in debates with Obama he’s got him packed right down.”

Santorum is scheduled to appear at 6:30 tonight in Cumming at First Redeemer Church, according to his website. Cumming Patch will have coverage Monday.

Georgia is the biggest prize on March 6 with 76 delegates up for grabs. Also voting on Super Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, are Ohio with 63 delegates, Tennessee (55), Virginia (48, with neither Gingrich nor Santorum on the ballot), Oklahoma (40), Massachusetts (38) and Vermont (17), while Idaho (32), North Dakota (28) and Alaska (24) will choose delegates in caucuses that day.

  • Who has your vote in the GOP primary March 6?

    (Voting has been closed for this question)
    • Newt Gingrich
        75 (59%)
    • Mitt Romney
        14 (11%)
    • Rick Santorum
        17 (13%)
    • Ron Paul
        20 (15%)
    Total votes: 126
  • Your vote will only count once. This is not a scientific poll. View Results Vote!
Related Topics: Georgia presidential primary, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Super Tuesday, and participate 2012

anne

9:34 am on Sunday, February 19, 2012

Interesting that many articles state that Gingrich's 'home state' is Georgia--he was born in Pennsylvania. He represented GA in Congress--badly--and left under a very large cloud of financial misdeeds. Why is he 'warmly received' in Cobb County?

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Kevin_Hunt

12:28 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012

In 1981, Gingrich introduced a bill to the House floor that sought “to provide for the therapeutic use of marijuana in situations involving life-threatening or sense-threatening illnesses and to provide adequate supplies of marijuana for such use.” September 16, 1981, H.R.4498, 97th Congress, 2D Session

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anne

5:35 pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012

Is that why he was warmly received in Cobb County?

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James Bell

4:01 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It is true about the Marijuana bill. But now he wants to burn pot smokers in the gas ovens.

Lynn Hubbard

7:30 am on Monday, February 20, 2012

I think it's fine for a single person to take the office. It would probably save alot of money.

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catherine guilford

11:32 am on Monday, February 20, 2012

newt and herman birds of a feather, herman need to go sit down somewhere an embrassment to black people,.

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String Bean

12:48 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012

Catherine, the embarrassment to black people are the race pimps like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton

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Bill Thrasher

4:20 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012

Mr. Cain came from very humble beginnings and has become very successful. Ms Guilford---I must ask. How is he an embarrasment to black people?

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Lisa Cooper

4:56 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012

Anne, what constitutes a "home" state. It seems to me it would be location where you have lived the longest. Mr. Gingrich moved to Georgia with his family as a young man and graduated from a Columbus, Georgia high school in 1961.....one year before I was born. He was a college professor at West Georgia College during the early 70s, raised his daughters in Carrollton and then spent 20 years representing this state in Washington D.C. He may have been born in the North....but in my book he's lived here long enough and done enough for folks to refer to Georgia as his home.

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Jackie Marianne

7:47 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012

They are both emarrasments to all people.

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Toby Jenner

9:59 pm on Monday, February 20, 2012

Actually, it should be an embarrassment when you can't spell or put a decent thought together.

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James Bell

3:56 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

There will be a grassroots rally for Ron Paul this Sunday (Feb. 26 - 1pm) Marietta Square. There will be live music and speakers. It should be a nice day in the park. Hope you can join us. www.facebook.com/ronpaulrally www.ronpaulrally.wordpress.com

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James Bell

3:59 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

My fellow Americans, If you elect me President I will guarantee you I will lower the price of draft beer to $2.50 per gallon!

Promises Promise!

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Buddha

10:40 am on Thursday, February 23, 2012

Newt may have been born up North but he has done a hell of a lot more than anyone responding to this blog has ever done for the folks in Georgia. Does he have baggage? Yes! but who among us is not without fault. The real issue is who can beat Obama in the upcoming election? I think the answer is someone who has been there and done that. That would be Newt! He knows Washington politics and is a true conservative. More than Romney, Santorum or Paul can say!!!

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Howard Johnson

12:58 pm on Saturday, February 25, 2012

President Barack Obama's re-election odds increase about a zillion percent if he runs against Gingrich. Remember, Georgia's Electoral College votes will go for the Republican Candidate regardless of who that turns out to be (Mitt Romney). Beware of anyone who pushes the Newt idea, since the motivation might actually be to undermine the ultimate GOP candidate's chances to win the General Election (Mitt Romney).

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Bill Thrasher

9:27 am on Sunday, February 26, 2012

Larry, I agree with you. While Mitt is certainly not my first choice as the nominee, he most assuredly has the best chance of bringing in the independent vote. I also note that he has improved his performance in the debates and the mainstream party seems to be very much on his side. Without the independent vote, conservatives cannot recapture the White House and I truly believe that this Country cannot survive another four years of Barack Obama.

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Enchante Moore

2:33 am on Monday, February 27, 2012

Serial Hypocrisy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWKTOCP45zY - 1.1 million people have watched this video.
Newt Gingrich has yet to explain the 1.6 million he took form Feddi Mac = taxpayer money, some just before the housing market collapsed. Also he collected at least $37 million from the healthcare industries who supported individual mandate.

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Bill Thrasher

6:53 am on Monday, February 27, 2012

Jackie Marianne

8:40 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2012

yous so rite!

LOL

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Buddha

9:27 am on Monday, February 27, 2012

Romney, wasn't he a Dem at one time? Oh! And what about Romneycare? And didn't he run against another Dem named Kennedy and loose? Yea, he would be a great substitute for Odumbo! What are you thinking?

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Howard Johnson

9:56 am on Monday, February 27, 2012

Buddha,
As Dems don't enjoy the masculine sport of NASCAR, I rather doubt that Mitt Romney was ever a Dem. Why just this weekend, he jetted down to Florida to rub elbows with his fellow automobile racing aficionados and substantially bolstered his "street credentials" with the regular folks down there. Mitt will certainly be the GOP nominee. We must enthusiastically join his team or suffer another 4 years under the Obama regime.
FROM HIS WEEKEND HOLIDAY AT THE TRACK:
"... it's a sign of a guy who loves cars," Romney said. "And this has always been a place where American cars have shined. And a long history from Daytona being connected with Detroit, with Detroit cars, and with the spirit of America."

Romney was at Daytona last year and said he also has been to the track in New Hampshire. Does he follow the sport?

"Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans," he said. "But I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners."

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