The Newt Gingrich surge: Can it last?

CBS ^ | 111511 | John Dickerson, Brian Montopoli

[Fred]

Newt Gingrich is having his moment. After a disastrous campaign rollout, a new CNN/ORC international poll shows Gingrich in a statistical tie with Mitt Romney atop a survey of which presidential candidate Republicans and Republican-leaning independents favor. (Romney was at 24 percent, Gingrich up to 22 percent - within the poll's margin of error. Herman Cain was third at 14 percent, down 11 points from October.) Gingrich was also competitive with Romney and Cain in CBS News' Friday poll and is atop a Public Policy Polling survey out Monday. (It should be noted that the PPP poll was taken using automated telephone interviews, which CBS News considers less reliable than personal interviews.)

Gingrich's roots in two early-voting states - Iowa and South Carolina - put him in a strong position to contend in those states. One new poll shows Gingrich tied with Cain atop the polls in Iowa, and an Insider Advantage survey taken November 8 showed Gingrich in second place in South Carolina, just seven points behind Cain.

Gingrich's recovery is undoubtedly tied to the fact that his rivals for the anti-Romney slot in the race have made something of a habit of self-destruction. But it's also notable that Gingrich has managed to turn his unfavorable ratings completely around among Republicans.

When Republicans (as opposed to Republicans and GOP-leaning independents) were asked in the new CNN/ORC poll their impression of Gingrich, 61 percent described it as favorable - the highest of any GOP candidate, and a ten point improvement from June. (Romney, at 55 percent, was the only rival to come close.) Just 21 percent had an unfavorable impression of Gingrich.

[varon]

Newt knows what's coming. He is prepared to explain any and all smears sent his way. I can hear Newt now “..... do you want to talk about my marriages or about real solutions to our nations problems?”

[Little Pig]

You’re assuming that the MSM would even bring up the Zer0’s baggage. You know as well as I do that whoever the Republican candidate is will have every skeleton in their closet exposed (or re-exposed), including some the MSM will make up from whole cloth. Newt is John Edwards twice over, and you can bet that if he gets the nod, the MSM will do everything to him we all wished they had done to Edwards. It’s not a scare/smear, it’s just an observation.