Newt Gingrich may still be disclaiming any interest in running for president, but you wouldn’t know it from his travel schedule. The former House Speaker will be in New Hampshire — site of the nation’s first presidential primary — for two days next week to schmooze with editorial boards and political activists. A couple of signings for his new best seller “Winning the Future” will be thrown in as a cover for the trip.
Next month, the peripatetic former Speaker will curiously enough also be in Iowa, site of the first presidential caucus, with visits scheduled in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. While Mr. Gingrich barely registers in early surveys of national Republicans who are asked to pick their presidential preference, he brings a lot of assets to a possible race. Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican who represents the Palm Beach area, told the Hill newspaper that Mr. Gingrich “probably has the best political Rolodex of anyone in the nation. Think of how many candidates like myself he’s helped in the past; think of all the Lincoln Day dinners he’s attended.”
For Mr. Gingrich, putting his toe in presidential campaign waters is a low-risk proposition. Even if he decides not to run, speculation about his candidacy is guaranteed to sell more books in every city he visits.
Phil Gramm had a big Rolodex, too.