Georgia Governor Nathan Deal joined more than 60 federal, state, and local officials at the Georgia State Capitol building on Tuesday, announcing his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.
The Georgia governor announced his endorsement less than three months prior to “Super Tuesday,” in March of 2012, the date of the Georgia Republican primary election vote. Mr. Gingrich did not attend the event, instead he spent the day campaigning in New Hampshire.
“With this contest less than 90 days away, we wanted to throw our support behind the only candidate we see qualified to take on Barack Obama and turn this nation around,”Georgia State Senate President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams said Tuesday, in a statement posted to Mr. Gingrich’s campaign website.
“Hands down that person is Newt Gingrich,” Mr. Williams added.
The endorsement should come as no surprise to Gingrich supporters, as the former House speaker represented Georgia’s 6th congressional district from 1979-1999.
The Gingrich campaign also announced the endorsement Tuesday from two South Carolina Tea Party groups, the Myrtle Beach and Laurens County Tea Parties. Another sign that Mr. Gingrich’s popularity among Tea Party Republican voters is growing, as the co-founder and chairman of the Tea Party of America, Charlie Gruschow endorsed Mr. Gingrich last week.
“We need a president who makes creating jobs his first priority,” Loudermilk said. “Newt Gingrich has a record of turning around the economy. And he will return many powers back to the states, something Georgians desperately want to see in a president,” Georgia State Senator Barry Loudermilk said Tuesday during the endorsement ceremony.
Republican Georgia congressman Austin Scott, Lynn Westmoreland, Tom Price, Jack Kingston and Phil Gingrey were also in attendance to show their support for Mr. Gingrich.
