Gingrich Campaign Press Release - Newt Speaks at UNC-Wilmington, First Candidate to Visit the Tar Heel State

Newt became the first candidate to campaign in North Carolina, speaking to an overflow crowd at the Lumina Theater on the campus on UNC-Wilmington.

Gingrich used analogies comparing consumer credit card bills to the debt of the nation to tell the students, faculty and Wilmington-area residents in attendance about his goal to get the country to think differently.

The comparisons gave his speech the feel of a college professors lecture, and he often nodded to students in the audience in the middle of his points on energy and foreign oil, saying, "Many of you who are taking economics can try this out."

Gingrich highlighted just two major platform planks, as he termed them, during the speech. Creating an American energy dependence program to produce oil in the country would limit terrorism, create jobs and bring gas prices down to $2.50 a gallon, he said. He also proposed a brain science initiative to work on finding cures for diseases like autism and Alzheimers.

"Weve got to become an innovative country again," he said. "Weve got to develop new technology and new science."

The technology focus was part of what brought Andrew Brennan, a freshman at UNCW, to Gingrichs speech. Brennan, whos thinking about a major in physics, said he especially liked Gingrichs ideas about space exploration. He also liked the name recognition.

"To see the former speaker of the House, thats monumental," he said.

For Ryan Budd, also a UNCW freshman, the speech was about more than just a boldfaced name.

"Ive been a Newt supporter since September of last year," he said. "Hes how American democracy should be run."

Read more about his speech here.