Newt spoke to a standing room only crowd of over 400 people last night at the Polk County GOP dinner in Johnston, Iowa. According to Kevin Hall from The Iowa Republican, Newt hit a homerun with the capacity crowd. Because of Newt's solutions-oriented campaign and optimistic vision for America, Hall notes that "Republicans are flocking to Gingrich in droves."
Thursday's event far exceeded anyone's expectations. A standing room only crowd of over 400, plus around 50 media members from around the world, packed a conference center in Johnston to hear the new GOP frontrunner. The event raised over $30,000.
"We were really tickled," said Polk GOP Co-Chair Dave Funk. "We had to turn people away at the door because there was no more room." He and other organizers had to stand during the event to make room for attendees.
The former House Speaker did not disappoint the capacity crowd. It was standard Gingrich stump speech fare, mixing historical lessons and anecdotes with a strong focus on our founding documents, bold plans for the future and plenty of criticism of Barack Obama. That formula has been a hit in debates and on the campaign trail.
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It was Gingrich's final statements that brought the house down. As he has stated before, if he wins the GOP nomination, Gingrich wants to challenge President Obama to seven Lincoln-Douglas style debates. He joked that Obama can bring a teleprompter.
In case Obama does not accept that challenge, Gingrich has a backup plan. "The White House will be my scheduler and wherever the President goes, I will show up four hours later and respond to his speech."
The thought of the professorial Gingrich challenge Obama directly has Republicans salivating. The entire crowd rose to its feet with cheers and applause to the new GOP frontrunner's comment. It's rare that a presidential candidate's comment earns a standing ovation. Newt Gingrich made a major impact on this crowd.
"Newt makes sense," said Pat Knueven of Urbandale. "He says it like it is and he says what needs to be done, which we're not hearing today from the current administration. Newt knows what needs to be done and he knows how to do it."
Conservative activist Kathy Carley agrees. "I loved his speech. I think Newt's brilliant. Out of all of the candidates, Newt Gingrich loves our country and will fight to do our country right."
Newt Gingrich, Gingrich Campaign Press Release - Video: Newt 'Hits Homerun' at Polk GOP Dinner Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/210139