ORLANDO, Fla. – As Newt Gingrich’s campaign announced on Tuesday that it had crossed the $5 million mark for fundraising in January, the candidate told reporters on the week of Groundhog Day to expect another six months of campaigning.
Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said on Twitter that in addition to raising $5 million this month, the campaign's Federal Election Commission report would show about $10 million raised in the last quarter of 2011. Hammond did not, however, provide an amount for the campaign’s cash-on-hand.
The campaign of former candidate Rick Perry, who has endorsed Gingrich, reported raising $2.9 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $17 million in the previous three months. He had $3.8 million in cash at the end of December, his report showed.
Gingrich's chief rival, Mitt Romney, told reporters on Tuesday that the former Speaker's victory in South Carolina earlier this month was attributable to the fact that the former Speaker "vastly outspent" him there.
Romney, however, has an alliance of super PACs supporting him whose resources far outstrip those of his rival.
When Gingrich stopped by a polling precinct at the First Baptist Church of Windermere in Orlando, he was asked how much longer the campaign would last. “I would say probably six months," he said. "I would say June or July, unless Romney drops out earlier.”
And when asked about Florida, where polls have shown Romney with a sizable lead, Gingrich said confidently, “I’m not going to lose big here.”
Responding to Gingrich's comments about the duration of the campaign, Romney said: "I have to make sure I get the 1,150 or so delegates it takes to become the nominee. This could be a long process of going state to state, getting support in each state. I intend to do that. We have the time and the calendar and the team and the organization to be able to I believe it takes to become the nominee. But I am not going to judge before the process is over."
Rebecca Kaplan and Sarah B. Boxer contributed
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