Georgia Republican governor Nathan Deal said Friday he will remain behind former House speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
The Georgia Republican, who endorsed Mr. Gingrich’s campaign last month, said Friday that he remains committed to Mr. Gingrich’s campaign even as a number of close aides announced they would quit the campaign.
“Newt Gingrich is my friend and I support his campaign for the presidency,” Mr. Deal said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “When the going gets rough, I don’t cut and run on my friends. Whether he stays in the race is his decision, not mine, and I will support whatever decision he makes.”
Mr. Deal, who serves as Mr. Gingrich’s Georgia campaign chairman, made the statement just hours after top aides to Mr. Gingrich announced they would quit. Mr. Gingrich’s campaign team in Iowa also said they would move on.
A number of former campaign aides say they are concerned with Mr. Gingrich’s level of commitment and his ability to run a successful campaign.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gingrich, who is vacationing in Greece, said he remains committed to winning the Republican presidential nomination.
“There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run. Now we’ll find out over the next year who’s right,” Mr. Gingrich said in a statement released late Thursday.
