Politics & Government

LOOKING BACK: Three Months Ago, Newt Was A Long Shot at Best

Prominent NH political minds saw Gingrich as knowledgeable, but failed to forecast recent surge.

Update:

With little more than three weeks remaining before Granite Staters head to the voting booths for New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Primary, Newt Gingrich finds himself sitting in a neck-and-neck race with longtime front-runner Mitt Romney.

Three months ago, however, the former House Speaker's wheels seemed to be spinning, stuck firmly in the gutter of most local and national polls.

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We thought today would be a good time to look back at Gingrich's appearance at the New England Council's popular Politics and Eggs breakfast at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

Original Story (Published 9/9/11):

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For the third time since the Politics and Eggs series began in 1996, Newt Gingrich appeared as the special guest at the popular Granite State event, which is hosted by the New England Council and New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, where he spoke to a full house Friday morning.

Though many of those in attendance said Gingrich has the knowledge and experience to lead the United States in the right direction, poll numbers show his uphill climb is significant.

The former Georgia congressman is fourth in the latest Gallup GOP name recognition poll at 86 percent, behind only Sarah Palin, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, yet he sits at a mere 4 percent in terms of preference for the presidential nomination.

The unfavorable ratings are certainly troublesome, said University of New Hampshire professor and pollster Andrew Smith.

"When asked which candidate you wouldn't vote for under any circumstance, he's right at the top of the list there," said Smith. "He's got some fundamental issues to deal with in terms of his personality, but one of the things he's able to point out ... and I think this may be his strategy, is to really indicate the seriousness of the problems the United States is in and point out the unwillingness of some of his opponents to address the seriousness of the issues and really fully understand the scope of the issues.

"If he can make it seem like he's the only person who truly understands what we're facing, I think he may have a better chance of doing something," Smith continued, "but its going to be very tough. I think he may be one of those candidates that's here just to make sure these issues are discussed at the level they need to be discussed so voters at least have some understanding of what the country faces."


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