Politics

In Georgia, Gingrich holds slim lead

February 22nd, 2012

With about two weeks before Georgia’s Republican Presidential Primary, a new poll suggests the race is too close to call. There’s more than one way to interpret the new poll from Insider Advantage. One way is to say Newt Gingrich is leading all GOP candidates in Georgia.

“With Gingrich ahead by about 2 points,” said Insider Advantage CEO and former Gingrich adviser Matt Towery.

Monday night, Insider Advantage called 721 registered voters likely to vote next month. 26% of them said they’ll vote for Gingrich. In same poll, Mitt Romney was behind Gingrich by 2 percent. Rick Santorum trailed Gingrich by 3 percent.

“They’re all in the mid to upper 20 percentile range,” said Towery. “Basically, this is still a very fluid race in Georgia.”

Towery argues Gingrich should and needs to win Georgia. From 1978 to 1998, Gingrich represented Georgia’s 6^th Congressional district. During the time, he led the House as Speaker.

“Gingrich has a base in this state that I think he will hold,” said Towery. “But, he is being pounded on television by commercials that basically attempt him to cast him in a bad light.”

One ad playing in Georgia was paid for by Restore Our Future. The super political action committee supporting Romney charges that, in 1986, Gingrich attacked then President Ronald Reagan, a Republican icon.

There is a Gingrich super PAC. It’s called Winning Our Future. The group told WABE it has no TV ads planned for Georgia right now. Meanwhile, Gingrich’s campaign will buy air time in certain states. No word if Georgia is one of them.

The Insider Advantage poll shows Ron Paul with 12%. 11% are undecided.