Poll shows former U.S. Speaker Newt Gingrich as latest GOP presidential frontrunner

November 16, 2011

Newt Gingrich, the former of the United States House of Representatives, has moved to first place among the field of  presidential candidates in the latest survey from  (PPP). The poll, released on Monday, shows Gingrich with 28 percent support; three points ahead of businessman, and ten points ahead of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The result reflects a thirteen point increase for Gingrich since last month's PPP survey.

Gingrich, 68, represented the of Georgia for twenty years (1979–1999), four of which were spent as Speaker (1995–1999). In 1995 he was named 's for his leadership in the. Since leaving Congress, he has worked in the private sector and academia.

Gingrich's had a rocky start earlier this year. In May, during an interview on , he criticized a conservative-backed as "right-wing social engineering", and later in the month, was reported to have sustained a hefty debt at  House Majority Leader  observed that "Many have said now he's finished." This summer, his campaign took its greatest hit when most of his campaign staff resigned. In July, Gingrich's support fell to one percent in a poll.

At this point, Gingrich tried to focus on the presidential debates. According to, voters responded well to both his attacks on the media and his political ideas, including his new "", stylized after the document he helped draft ahead of the 1995 Republican takeover. In late September, Gingrich returned to double digits in a poll. In October, he raised $3 million.

According to the , Gingrich's latest surge likely came about from last week's debate performances. However, it also coincides with the decreasing support for Herman Cain amid sexual harassment allegations. PPP determined that 73 percent of Cain supporters hold a favorable opinion of Gingrich, compared to 68 percent of all Republicans.

Analysts now consider Gingrich as the anti-Romney candidate, an alternative for conservatives who believe Mitt Romney is too liberal. This position had previously been filled by Representative, Texas governor , and most recently Herman Cain.

Gingrich hopes his message will resonate better with voters than the previous frontrunners, and that this will lead to his election.