Gingrich Announces Candidacy For President

Three scandals, two divorces, and one infamous government shutdown later, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announced today that he is running to be President of the United States. No word on whether or not the Gingrich campaign will release his birth certificate, as President Barack Obama has done.

Gingrich, the architect of the 1994 Republican Revolution, which brought control of Congress to the Republican Party for the first time in a generation, is seeking to claim the mantle of Ronald Reagan for his own. That much is evident from his 2:09 campaign announcement video, available here.

His website, www.newt.org, lists five broad themes that he seemingly will base his campaign around: jobs and the economy, national security, an American energy plan, healthcare, and protecting life/religious liberty.

Gingrich’s website argues that “America only works when Americans are working. Newt has a pro-growth strategy similar to the proven policies used when he was Speaker to balance the budget, pay down the debt, and create jobs.” His national security theme is based on the notion that the government needs to be more coherent in its response to security threats. Gingrich was criticized in the 1990s for his military stances, primarily because he avoided service in Vietnam.

His energy plan calls for investment in all forms of possible energy sources, and his health care plan involves what he calls “empowering doctors and patients” to make their own choices. It is unclear who would pay for the rising costs of health care under his plan.

The last plank of his platform may be the hardest for Republican primary voters to swallow. They have never, even at the height of his popularity, seen Gingrich as a political ally on social issues. His focus, then and now, was on economic issues. His recent conversion to Catholicism and his movement rightward on some social issues may give pause to abortion opponents and evangelical Christians, both of whom can dominate some of the early-season primaries and caucuses.

Gingrich has also been married three times. One story from his earlier campaigns involves him arriving at the hospital, with his then-wife in recovery from cancer surgery, and wanting to discuss a divorce. He met his current wife after having an affair with her while pursuing impeachment charges against former President Bill Clinton for Clinton’s coverup of an affair with Monica Lewinsky.