A day after winning a partial endorsement from Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich said today he would ask the former governor of Alaska to play a “major role” in his administration should he make it to the White House. “Certainly, she’s one of the people I’d call on for advice,” Gingrich said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “I would ask her to consider taking a major role in the next administration if I’m president, but nothing has been discussed of any kind. And it wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss it at this time.”
Gingrich, who saw his popularity in South Carolina jump sharply after Monday night’s debate, also praised the Tea Party movement.
“I’m just delighted that she and Todd have been both of them so supportive of my candidacy. And they recognize that, you know, I’m a Tea Party Reform conservative. I’m not part of the Washington establishment,” the former speaker said. “And I think that’s the signal that her endorsement last night really sends.”
Though Palin didn’t officially endorse Gingrich, she said on Fox News Tuesday that she would vote for him if she were a South Carolinian.
“If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going, I’d vote for Newt and I would want this to continue,” she said.
In a new poll by CNN/Time/ORC released this afternoon, Gingrich is trailing Mitt Romney by 10 percentage points. Though the former Massachusetts governor remains the front-runner, his support has tapered off in recent weeks while Gingrich has jumped in polls to claim the No. 2 spot. Romney’s campaign sees the margins narrowing even further leading up to what could be the decisive primary on Saturday.
