Newt Gingrich Campaign Staff Resigns

This might just do it for Newt Gingrich's White House hopes: His campaign staff just quit. Or at least the ones running the show, including campaign manager Rob Johnson, Gingrich's spokesman, and four top strategists and consultants, reports Politico. They cited a "different vision" for the campaign, and it didn't help that Gingrich insisted on taking a two-week cruise instead of working to mend fences after his disastrous start. (See here and here.)

"It’s not clear how—or whether—Gingrich will remain in the race," notes the Fix blog at the Washington Post. Both outlets say the top campaign aides bristled at Gingrich's reluctance to use traditional grass-roots campaigning to get his message out. Politico notes that both Johnson and another strategist to quit, Dave Carney, are closely allied with Rick Perry, which will renew speculation about whether the Texas governor will jump in. (More Newt Gingrich 2012 stories.)