Gingrich Campaign Press Release - Newt Woos Alabama Voters Ahead of Tuesday's Primary

Newt campaigned across Alabama Friday night and Saturday, making stops in Mobile, Robertsdale, Orange Beach, Dothan, and Hoover.  At each stop, Newt outlined his bold solutions for job creation and increasing American energy production to lower gasoline prices below $2.50.  Newt also picked up major endorsements yesterday from Bassmaster founder Ray Scott and former Alabama Governor Fob James.

In Mobile, Newt spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Henderson Antique Car Barn Friday night and then to supporters at Captain's Table restaurant on Saturday morning.  After listening to Newt's speech, Bruce Kocher, a delivery truck driver from Theodore said, "I found my candidate tonight."

Gingrich, a former House Speaker from neighboring Georgia, delivered an hour-long speech at the Henderson Antique Car Barn in Tillman's Corner in which he hammered Obama and laid out his plan to revive domestic energy production.

Obama "is deeply anti-American energy," Gingrich told a cheering crowd of about 300. "We need a visionary leader with bold ideas."

Gingrich said his three-point plan to spark domestic oil and gas production included approval of the Keystone pipeline, expansion of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and the opening of parts of Alaska for oil production.

Gingrich mocked Obama as "President Algae" for his support of alternative fuels, saying the incumbent "has no sense of practicality." It was a message well received by a blue-collar audience in an area where the average price of a gallon of gas is among the highest in Alabama.

"He's a fighter. He's got the right ideas to beat Obama," said Bruce Kocher, a delivery truck driver from Theodore. "I found my candidate tonight."

Joined by former Alabama Governor Fob James at Mama Lou's restaurant in Robertsdale, Newt hammered President Obama's fantasy-filled energy plan, calling him "President Algae."

But Gingrich saved the best barbs for President Barack Obama, deriding him as "President Algae" for his support of alternative fuels.

Gingrich repeatedly rapped Obama for failed energy policies that he said have stifled the American economy and deepened the national debt.

"We have a president who believes in expensive gas," he told a parking lot full of listeners outside Mama Lou's restaurant in Robertsdale, vowing that he would work to expand oil production and cut gasoline prices below $2.50 a gallon.

Gingrich implored voters to give him the opportunity to challenge Obama in the general election, saying his bold ideas and fierce debating skills would lead the GOP to victory.

"I want to pit unemployment and food stamps against jobs and paychecks," he said from the restaurant's front porch, drawing whoops from an audience that included former Alabama Gov. Fob James.

In Dothan, Newt changed in to a Bassmaster shirt to receive a formal endorsement from Bassmaster founder Ray Scott. Newt wowed the overflow crowd at the Wiregrass Museum of Art, including Patricia Tayman who drove two-and-a-half hours to attend the rally.

A two-and-a-half-hour drive couldn't separate Patricia Tayman from Newt Gingrich's rally in Dothan.

The Pensacola, Fla., resident left Sunday's event with a smile on her face, confident Gingrich is the right man to lead the country in the years to come.

"I'm psyched, and I'm just praying he can pull it off in Mississippi and Alabama and get back ahead of things," she said. "I've watched the different debates, and after seeing him in person, I'm behind him 100 percent now."

Enterprise resident Tracy Bullinger said her trip to the Circle City was worth it as well.

"I did not know much (about Gingrich) before the speech," she said after the event. "I'm very excited about his platform, very excited about his plan for harvesting our resources here in the states and getting us some independence from overseas. He will have my vote Tuesday."

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Bullinger said she's supporting Gingrich because of her concern for the future of the country.

"I think this election is very important because we need a big change in our country right now," she said. "If we don't make a big change, there's not going to be anything left for our younger generations."

Click here to read more about Newt's Dothan rally. Click here for behind the scenes pictures from the campaign events.