Republican Gingrich to announce 2012 US presidential run

Former speaker of the US House of Representatives will announce his candidacy via Twitter and Facebook, his spokesman says.

By REUTERS
Newt Gingrich 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Newt Gingrich 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON - Republican Newt Gingrich will announce plans to run for his party's 2012 presidential nomination on Wednesday, his spokesman said on Monday.
Gingrich, a former speaker of the US House of Representatives, will announce his candidacy via Twitter and Facebook, and will speak on Friday at a gathering of the Georgia Republican Party in Macon, spokesman Rick Tyler said.
As part of his campaign roll-out, Gingrich will give an interview to Fox News' anchor Sean Hannity on Wednesday night and speak on Saturday at Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, whose most famous alumnus is Republican icon Ronald Reagan.
"We're all in," said Tyler.
Gingrich, 67, is a conservative famed for budget battles with President Bill Clinton when he was House speaker in the 1990s.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in March said Gingrich was viewed favorably by 35 percent of voters and unfavorably by 38 percent.