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Algona, Iowa (CNN) - Newt Gingrich cited fraud Wednesday as the reason he didn't get on the Virginia primary ballot. Last week his campaign acknowledged they used paid volunteers to scramble to get the required 10,000 signatures but fell short after the former House speaker and Virginia resident boasted his campaign was submitting as many as 12,000-14,000 signatures. On a campaign stop at an Algona chocolate store, the former House speaker said the "mistake" occurred because one of their workers committed fraud.

Officially, the recession ended two and a half years ago. President Obama tells us the economy has been moving in the right direction since June 2009. Few will take solace in that statistic. Americans are suffering. For nearly three years, nearly one in 10 have been out of work. Almost double that number are either underemployed—working part time when they would rather be full time—or have simply given up looking. Historically in America, the deeper the recession, the stronger the recovery. By historical standards, we should be completing the second year of a booming recovery. Recall that, just like President...

He could easily win the Iowa precinct caucuses next Tuesday, which kick off the voting for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Yet Ron Paul is largely getting a free pass from his rivals and their supporters, the only top-tier candidate who's escaping the torrent of high-profile attack ads flooding the state's airwaves. Why? Because none of his competitors sees the Texas congressman as a serious long-term rival for the nomination.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is out with a new ad in Iowa, his second in two days. “Main Street” declares it “baloney” to declare high unemployment “the new normal” and touts Gingrich’s plan to create a million new jobs. Between this spot and “Winning the Argument,” which praises the candidate’s debate skills, Gingrich is spending $500,000 in Iowa for the final week — a huge ramp-up from his previous buys.

You know who this benefits? *snip* So there’s the long-awaited Santorum surge among social cons, who are finally giving him a first look at the perfect moment after flirtations this fall with Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich. Two caveats, though, one minor and one major. The minor: PPP’s poll published this morning found Santorum stuck at 10 percent, still behind Gingrich and Bachmann. Are their numbers the outlier or are CNN’s? The major: According to the crosstabs, CNN only polled … registered Republicans in Iowa. That means they’re badly underestimating support for Paul, who’s cleaning up among Democrats and independents...

Although Iowa Rep. Steve King is holding back his coveted political endorsement with only days to go before his state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, he tells Newsmax that he almost certainly would choose former House Speaker Newt Gingrich over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. However, it is becoming less likely he will make a formal endorsement of any GOP presidential candidates before Tuesday’s caucuses, the conservative Republican told Newsmax in an exclusive interview today. “We’re closing in fast on the Iowa caucuses, so it’s less likely today than it was yesterday, but I am meeting with candidates, talking with them, talking with...

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," December 26, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. MARK STEYN, GUEST HOST: It made all the campaign chaos. Newt Gingrich has picked up a much needed endorsement from former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts. Here to explain why he's chosen to throw his support behind the former speaker is none other than the man himself, former Congressman J.C. Watts. Welcome to the program. What's Newt got that the other guys don't have as far as you are concerned? J.C. WATTS, FORMER OKLAHOMA CONGRESSMAN: Well, Mark, thanks...

Newt Gingrich’s new TV ad, “Main Street,” which began running in Iowa today:

In Final Stretch, Newt Gingrich Holds Town Halls in Iowa (full video)

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/28/michele-bachmann-strikes-back-at-rick-perry-ad-accuses-the-texas-gov-of-crony-capitalism/ Link only, per rules.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich faced a “tougher question” in Decorah late last night about his past support of a health care mandate. The question came from a man in the crowd. “It’s not going to be mean, but it’s going to make you justify an answer,” the man told Gingrich. “Throughout the GOP debates you were strongly against RomneyCare and tonight you also said you were against ObamaCare, but back in 2006 I believe it is when the Massachusetts health care bill was passed, a newsletter under your name called Newt’s Notes came out and said that you fully...

He led us to victory before. Spectacular, historic victory. The strategy and content of his 1994 Contract with America propelled the Republicans to a 54-seat gain in 1994 to win control of the House of Representatives, which had been held by the Republicans for only two out of the previous 62 years. Even the Reagan Revolution in the 1980s failed to achieve that. Then, for all the caterwauling we have heard about how he handled the budget battles with Clinton, he led the House Republicans in 1996 to their first re-election as a majority since 1928, almost 70 years. Moreover,...

Via Mediaite, not the only case of a Republican hitting Paul hard today. Santorum’s been attacking him on his foreign policy, his age, and his track record on legislation, saying, “Show me one bill he’s passed in Congress. He’s been there 20 years.” The joke’s on you, Rick: He has passed one. Exactly one.The clip’s worth watching not for Gingrich’s slightly outré admission that he wouldn’t support his party’s nominee over The One — Paul himself hasn’t even categorically ruled out a third-party bid, for cripes sake — but for the barrage of detail about Paul’s newsletters that he unloads...

DUBUQUE, Iowa–In an attempt to stop his recent tumble in the polls, Newt Gingrich began his closing arguments in Iowa Tuesday afternoon by challenging former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to a 90-minute debate and comparing his experience as a champion of supply-side economics with Mr. Romney’s record as a “Massachusetts moderate.” The challenge came in front of about 150 people at the Dubuque Golf and Country Club two days after Mr. Gingrich decided to cut in half a scheduled 44-stop bus tour ahead of the Jan. 3 caucus. Mr. Gingrich’s campaign spokesman said the change was made to give Mr....

A few weeks ago I said I wasn’t sure I could get comfortable with the idea of supporting Newt Gingrich. I laid out my case then and there is no reason to go back into it now. I still find it incredibly hard to believe that the two guys at the top — excluding the 9/11 truther nut — both support the individual mandate. I continue to hope Perry surprises in Iowa and Huntsman surprises in New Hampshire. At least then we’d have a pretty awesome race with two governors with conservative records we can all be proud of. But...

Dubuque, Iowa - Continuing to contrast himself against Mitt Romney, the "Massachusetts moderate," Newt Gingrich declared he would grow the economy as president by reining in the government the way he had done with Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp. "In 1982, Reagan was talked into a tax increase, I opposed it. Kemp and I led the fight against it. Reagan said it was a mistake; it was the biggest single mistake of his administration. In 1990, President Bush wanted to raise taxes and I opposed it. We had a huge fight. The majority of Republicans voted no. And this fight...

If you’re a political junkie, you’ve got to love a presidential candidate who lights the fire Newt Gingrich has lit. Or at least you have to love the fire. Impeach judges? Subpoena them? Arrest them? Zany, zany, zany Newt. Or is that correct, correct, correct Newt? The case can be made that judges can be impeached for rendering unconstitutional opinions. But it probably can’t be made persuasively in an op-ed piece. I won’t try. But I’ll take on the other two. They can be subpoenaed, and, because they can be subpoenaed, they can be arrested if they refuse to comply....

Newt Gingrich Endorsed by Architect of Reagan Economic Plan, Economist Arthur Laffer Dyersville, IA – Renowned economist, father of The Laffer Curve and supply-side economics, and architect of the Ronald Reagan economic plan, Arthur Laffer, announced his endorsement today of Newt Gingrich for President of the United States. “Newt has the best plan for jobs and economic growth of any candidate in the field,” said Laffer. “Like Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts and pro-growth policies, Newt’s low individual and corporate tax rates, deregulation and strong dollar monetary policies will create a boom of new investment and economic growth leading to the...

Gingrich defends memo on healthcare law: 'The idea didn't work' By Daniel Strauss - 12/27/11 05:48 PM ET Newt Gingrich on Tuesday defended a memo he wrote in 2006 expressing total agreement with the healthcare law that then-governor Mitt Romney (R) put in place in Massachusetts. In the memo, first reported Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal, Gingrich praised the healthcare law in Massachusetts as having "tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system.” "We agree entirely with Gov. Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100 percent insurance coverage for all Americans," said the...

It isn’t any news that Newt Gingrich isn’t a particular fan of his biggest threat in the 2012 race thus far, Rep. Ron Paul. What may be news, however, is that Rep. Paul may overtake President Barack Obama in antipathy Gingrich harbors for him, as he told Wolf Blitzer on CNN today that he could never vote for Rep. Paul, and that, between Rep. Paul and President Obama, he would have a “very hard choice” to make. Blitzer switched the topic over to Rep. Paul, which gave Gingrich an opening to bring up the newsletters, arguing that he found it...