Politics

Gingrich looks to $19.94

Will Rahn Senior Editor
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Next week, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will unveil his “21st Century Contract with America,” and he’s figured out a novel way to get the word out.

In exchange for a donation of $19.94 or more, fans of Gingrich will be entered into a contest to be among the first to seehis new “promise to the American people.” The winner will also receive a call from Gingrich and an signed copy on the original “Contract with America.”

Gingrich’s original “Contract” helped set the stage for the historic “Republican Revolution” of 1994. “Unlike a party platform, which is a list of beliefs, the Contract with America was a promise to the American people,” says Gingrich in a statement sent to supporters. “It said that if you elect Republicans into a majority in the House of Representatives, that we would hold votes on 10 specific pieces of legislation — including welfare reform, tax cuts and deregulatory measures to create jobs — within the first 100 days.”

“Our presidential campaign today reminds me of our congressional campaign in 1994, when we set out to regain control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years,” he continues. “All the pundits said it was impossible. But we proved them wrong.”

While he struggled to gain his footing after he announced his candidacy last spring, polls indicate that Gingrich’s numbers have climbed again of late, in part bolstered by his solid performance in recent debates.

“The one thing that makes it very hard to count him out is he’s always thinking,” no less than former President Bill Clinton said of his old foe in a recent interview. “He’s always got a bunch of new ideas and some of them are pretty good. So a guy that can still use his brain cells and come up with good ideas, you’re never really sure what happens there.”