Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is headed to Hawaii, where he is expected to continue his campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
After attending campaign events in California, Mr. Gingrich is set to travel to Wailuku, Hawaii, where he and the Maui Republican Party will meet with local supporters at a church on Saturday. His next public event is at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, when he is slated to discuss American history with students on the island.
The Hawaii trip follows a visit to California, where Mr. Gingrich and his wife will screen their film, “Nine Days that Changed the World.” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond says the Georgia Republican’s trip is focused on fundraising rather than vacationing.
Mr. Hammond also noted that Mr. Gingrich and his wife will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary while in Hawaii, in between events.
The trip comes as Mr. Gingrich lambasted President Obama for preparing for a vacation later this week. Mr. Obama is set to travel to Martha’s Vineyard over the weekend, beginning a week-long vacation. Speaking earlier this week, Mr. Gingrich told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the president “ought to cancel his vacation — period.”
The campaign stop comes as Mr. Gingrich continues to fall far behind former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Texas Republican governor Rick Perry, both of whom are seen as the leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.
The Georgia Republican faced a mass exodus of campaign staffers in June, many of whom questioned the former Speaker’s decision to take time off from campaigning for a vacation in Greece with his wife. Mr. Gingrich later defended the decision.
