◼ By mid-November, Mr. Gingrich had lifted himself from a low of about 2 percentage points in the polls in mid-June to the lead in many national and state polls. Now, with just 16 days until Republican voters begin choosing a nominee at the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, he is favored in three of the four early voting states; the exception is New Hampshire, Mr. Romney’s adopted home state. - Katharine Q. Seelye/New York Times
As the perceived front-runner, he is drawing a barrage of attacks from his rivals. His strategy appears to be set on the spur of the moment: he had planned to spend this weekend at home, but as the criticism mounted and his negative ratings rose, he added a Sunday-morning television appearance and conference calls with reporters and supporters . In one call, he asked listeners to press 1 if they wanted to speak on his behalf in Iowa and 2 if they wanted to be a precinct captain. The burst of activity underscored just how far he remains behind Mr. Romney in fund-raising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
But if Mr. Gingrich can sustain his resurgence, he will have pulled off one of the most striking turnarounds in American politics....
“I’m looking at Newt,” Sheila Ness, 58, a dog breeder in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who had supported Mr. Cain, said the other day. She said she liked that he knew how Washington worked: “I figure he’s been there before.”
