When did Gingrich lose the nomination?

[retromike22]

At what point did Gingrich lose the nomination. I think it was when Santorum won CO and MN, everybody forgot about those races and suddenly the spotlight was on him instead of Gingrich.

[Oakvale]

When Santorum didn't drop out after South Carolina, of course. A Santorum endorsement then might have given Newt enough momentum to win Florida.

[fezzyfestoon]

I would say he dropped beyond being able to come back would be Santorum winning Colorado and Minnesota. He exceeded expectations in a much more dramatic way than Gingrich was ever able to, firmly grabbing the conservative alternative role away from Gingrich.

[Wisconsin+17]

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Santorum tossing to Gingrich probably would have lost Florida. Then Romney would have won the nomination.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I believe OK and TN... had he won those, he may have well won last night and be on his way at least to a brokered convention...

[ajb]

I think FL was his last chance -- any path to victory relied on his winning that relatively winnable early state, becoming the sole ABR, and then defeating Romney.

[Bull Moose Base]

The Florida debate that was the first to deprive him of the pro wrestling fans cheering him on, creating the illusion that he was a non-disaster.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

everyone running lost the nomination...and the eventual nominee will simply be the one most of the GOP can stomach the longest

[morgieb]

When he started running.

[Averroës Nix]

A Gingrich nomination was never plausible.

[big bad fab]

Around 1998.

[CARLHAYDEN]

When he started advocating amnesty for illegal aliens.

[Politico]

There is a strong correlation between options 1 and 2, and together they caused his ship to sink more than anything. Being a moral degenerate did not help, of course, but amazingly that was not enough to take him out of the running.

[Bacon King]

Honestly, I'll say the "conservative social engineering" remark. It's what caused everyone to stop considering him a serious candidate, which played a huge role in his decision to just troll everyone for the rest of the primary season rather than actually building up anything resembling a real campaign infrastructure.

[Torie]

Because he's him. I think it is more of a personal sense of uneasiness about the man.  Maybe I am projecting.

[J. J.]

A Gingrich nomination was never plausible.

I disagree.  On paper, Gingrich had some good qualifications.  He has, at times, shown himself to be a good tactician.

He lost it in FL.

[hotpprs]

None of the above.

Government shutdowns, and subsequent Democratic campaign commercials in late 90's where Newt was the villain in the background, that every GOP candidate supposedly sided with.
(Even the ones at the local level that were running for dog catcher or town clerk, etc.).

[Averroës Nix]

A Gingrich nomination was never plausible.

I disagree.  On paper, Gingrich had some good qualifications.  He has, at times, shown himself to be a good tactician.

No one with his personality, lack of discipline, and personal history could be nominated by a major party. It's seemed obvious all along that even he doesn't take his odds seriously - he hasn't done anything to build an organized campaign, and he was never putting in the long hours campaigning that are necessary for an insurgent candidate to do well.

[J. J.]

No one with his personality, lack of discipline, and personal history could be nominated by a major party.

Ever hear of Bill Clinton? 

[King]

His poor FL debate performance.

[Keystone Phil]

When he started sounding like lunatic perhaps?

[Torie]

No one with his personality, lack of discipline, and personal history could be nominated by a major party.

Ever hear of Bill Clinton? 

Comparing Newt to Bill is certainly creative, sort of like a totally abstract piece of art, which has a certain aesthetic cache even while depicting nothing particularly illustrative.

[Miles]

I'd say he really lost a ton of traction in Florida. I think he'd be in a much better position today if he could pull back-to-back wins in SC and FL.

[Colbert]

when he let show to the world how horrible are his artistic taste :