Politics

Former Newt aide says staffers who quit campaign were shortsighted

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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Newt Gingrich’s former spokesman, who resigned with other staffers en masse from Gingrich’s presidential campaign this summer, admits the former House speaker was probably right all along about how to run the campaign.

“I think the lesson that his former advisers, myself included, learned is that he might actually know what he’s doing,” Rick Tyler told The Daily Caller in an interview.

“Newt is a political strategist,” he said. “There are no competitors. He’s the best in the business.”

When he resigned in June, Tyler told CBS News: “There was a path to victory, Newt had a different path. When that happens, the people who work for the campaign have to leave.”

Gingrich has since revived his once-struggling campaign and has surged to the top of polls.

Speaking with TheDC on Wednesday, Tyler recalled that when he “left the campaign, I lost my perspective. We had an avalanche come down on us. And in politics, people lose their perspective from time to time.”

“I think Newt had a long-term perspective, which was different from mine,” he said. “Mine was a short-term perspective.” (RELATED: Newt’s rallying cry: ‘Food stamps with Obama versus paychecks with Gingrich’)

Tyler, who said he’s “thrilled” about Gingrich’s comeback, noted they still communicate. “I trade emails with him from time to time and but I wouldn’t say I’m offering advice,” he said. “We’re communicating.”

Looking back on how far the campaign has gone since he left, Tyler said: “It makes sense to me. Newt has pursued a strategy of cheerful persistence.”

He said Gingrich’s performances in the debates have “served him very well.”

“There are a lot of people on stage with good talent. Newt has great talent. And you see the difference when they’re together. It’s harder to see it when you see them separately. And the debates have really served that purpose for him,” he said.

Asked about concerns that Gingrich has inadequate campaign infrastructure in early voting states, Tyler said, “When you have the wind at your back, those things could be put together in short order.”

As for whether he would be open to a formal role again on the campaign, Tyler says there’s “no offer on the table.” But he wouldn’t rule it out.

“This is the political world,” Tyler said. “You never know what’s going to happen next.”

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