On the eve of his expected announcement to suspend his campaign, Newt Gingrich told USA Today that he was prepared to campaign with Mitt Romney and offer his support for the presumptive GOP nominee. The former speaker of the House also reflected on his campaign, wishing it had been bolder and that he had been smarter.
USA Today reported on Wednesday that Romney and Gingrich “will make a joint appearance in a few weeks, when Gingrich will make an official endorsement.” Gingrich said he did not regret running for president, but had “regrets about not being smarter about how to run."
After a bruising campaign, Gingrich had nothing but praise for the former Massachusetts governor. "Mitt Romney met the first criteria of being a good candidate: He won," Gingrich said. "Now you have to respect that." He added, "We sure didn't give it to him. We did everything we could to slug it out with him, and he ended up being tough enough and being good enough at raising money" to prevail.
Ultimately, Gingrich wishes he had begun his campaign in a “bolder” way, by not using consultants and focusing on big ideas like brain research and energy independence. He also said he was surprised by "elite" reaction to his proposals for space.
Gingrich is expected to announce the suspension of his campaign on Wednesday at a hotel in Northern Virginia.
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