Gingrich nearing decision on 2012

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) gave a two-week warning on his decision to run for president in 2012.

Gingrich, the GOP heavyweight mulling a campaign for the Republican nomination in 2012, told Republicans in Florida he’s within weeks of making a decision about running, according to The Palm Beach Post.

{mosads}The decision will come within a week or two, according to the Post.

Gingrich has flirted in the past with running for president, but ultimately begged off, allowing him to pursue lucrative opportunities in public speaking, authoring books and helping build party infrastructure.

Gingrich scores relatively well in polls of Republican primary voters’ preference for a nominee, though, and might finally make a serious run at the White House this time around. His public criticism on Thursday of President Obama’s decision to abandon the government’s defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court prompted more speculation that Gingrich might jump in.

“We are 620 days from the moment in which there is a rebirth of freedom,
a renewal of American pride and a relaunching of the American economy,”
Gingrich said of the looming presidential election during a Lincoln Day
dinner hosted by the Palm Beach County Republican Party.

“I have
no interest in running a 30-second attack ad that is petty, trivial,
negative and destructive. … I have every interest in a national
dialogue,” Gingrich said, according to the Post.

If he does decide to move forward with an exploratory committee or campaign anytime soon, Gingrich would be the first major candidate to formally enter the race. So far, the 2012 cycle has gotten off to a slow start, especially compared to previous cycles. Several potential candidates, including Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), have ruled out running so far.

Other major candidates have been reluctant to enter the race. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said Friday on MSNBC that his decision could come “later this summer.”