TULARE, Calif. — Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign has a history of near-death experiences, and the former House speaker insists another resurrection is on its way.
Really?
Gingrich said Monday while on a fundraising swing in California, “We’ve done it twice and I suspect you’re about to see us do it again.”
The third time may not be the charm. Gingrich sustained a string of disappointing performances in several state contests last week and has watched rival Rick Santorum emerge as the leading conservative opponent to Mitt Romney.
His campaign was revived again in South Carolina, where he trounced Romney despite a similar barrage of negative super PAC ads. Then his momentum was halted in Florida’s primary Jan. 31, where Restore Our Future and the Romney campaign together spent $15 million on attack ads.
Since then, Gingrich has struggled. He came in a distant second to Romney in Nevada on Feb. 4 and badly lost four straight contests last week. Santorum won in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado, breathing new life into his own limping candidacy.
