Dubuque, Iowa
Jeff Walker, a self-employed, self-described social conservative from Dubuque, has nothing but praise for former House speaker Newt Gingrich. “I’ve kind of liked Gingrich all along,” says Walker as he waits in the warehouse headquarters of Giese Manufacturing. “I liked him when he was speaker.” But Walker’s not sure who he’ll support in January’s Republican caucus.
Indeed, Walker and the rest of the crowd at Giese aren’t even here to see Gingrich. This is a Mitt Romney event, only his fourth visit to a state where social conservatives dominate the GOP. While Romney has hovered at around 20 percent in Iowa polls since May (a consistent second place), Gingrich has been stuck in the single digits for most of his campaign.
But a recent boost in the national polls—he’s averaging 12 percent in a respectable third place—as well as a less pronounced rise in Iowa has led to some increased chatter that Gingrich, like Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain before him, may be Romney’s next conservative challenger.
Republicans here mention Gingrich unprompted, always starting with his reputation as an intelligent, conservative problem-solver.
“He’s a really smart guy,” says Walker. “I think he’s the smartest guy in the group. I think he’s well-versed.”
“I like Newt because he is full of facts,” says Jim Sullivan, a small business owner from nearby Durango. “He knows what he’s talking about.”
At another Romney event at a water company in Davenport, retiree Allan Bruhn says he really liked Gingrich’s 10-point plan for the economy. “I like Gingrich,” Bruhn says. “I heard him here in town. He sounds real good.”
Bruhn suggests Romney and Gingrich would make a good ticket, though he says he didn’t have a preference for whose name would be at the top. Lyn Byard of Eldridge chimes in. “I’m going to go tell him,” she says, motioning toward Romney, “to choose Newt.”
Gingrich’s debate performances, in particular, have served him well here. “I think he’s the best debater,” says Bill Vondran of Dubuque.
“I think he’s well-versed,” says Walker. “I think he’d be the best in a one-on-one debate with Obama.”
“I’d love to see him debate Obama,” Sullivan says, his eyes brightening as he seems to contemplate the match-up. “I would just love to see that.”
