Who did Newt Gingrich appeal to in the 2012 Republican primaries?

[Blow by blow, the passion dies]

Tea Party types maybe?

[mileslunn]

People who wanted to live on the Moon or wanted the Moon to be 51st state lol.  Joking aside, mostly those who wanted to stop Romney.  It seems the anti-Romney faction kept on switching places as first Cain, then Gingrich then finally Santorum but never coalesced enough to stop Romney.

[darklordoftech]

People who thought Romney wasn’t racist enough and that Santorum was too religious.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

He came the closest to being the Tea Party candidate (with Cain and Perry both out)..from what I understand, it was voters who weren't evangelicals but were otherwise very conservative. I voted for him because I didn't like the alternatives.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Anti-media types.

If I recall he briefly surged in the primary entirely for castigating John King when he moderated one of the primary debates after being asked a question he didn't like.

[King of Kensington]

The "freedom fries" constituency.

[Old Man Willow]

If I recall Laura Ingraham was an initial supporter, she thought he was a true conservative and that Romney would make the election another 1996. I remember her arguing with Ann Coulter about it (Coulter wanted Romney because he was the toughest on immigration).

[ReaganLimbaugh]

Traditional Reagan "all around conservatives" and many who realized how much he did for the GOP in 1994.  Newt appealed to almost all major wings of the GOP.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Those who thought Romney was not fiscally conservative enough.

[Alben Barkley]

People who like scumbags who cheat on their cancer-ridden wives, but didn't want to vote for John Edwards who for some reason has a much worse reputation than Newt for the same thing. Probably has something to do with Democrats, unlike Republicans, not being hypocrites and actually holding their elected officials to standards, so they aren't OK with a scumbag like that being the head of their party in the House, followed by a pedophile (Hastert).

Also people who weren't tired of losing based on Newt's failed strategy of making Congress as unpopular as it's ever been to the point winning in a landslide managed to backfire on their party, or at least forgot that Newt had to resign in disgrace after his party LOST SEATS following the (massively hypocritical) impeachment of the president he spearheaded who reached record high approval ratings in the midst of said impeachment.

Or maybe people who like evil bastards who fatally divide the country in horrendous ways that are still being felt to this day.

[Republican Party Stalwart]

Traditional Reagan "all around conservatives" and many who realized how much he did for the GOP in 1994.  Newt appealed to almost all major wings of the GOP.

On the subject of his appeal to or respect for different wings of the GOP, one very interesting fact about Newt is that - contrary to the image some have of him as a stereotypical conservative Southerner - he was a supporter of and campaigner for Nelson Rockefeller's 1968 Presidential Primary campaign (as well as a born-and-raised Pennsylvanian).

[Republican Party Stalwart]

If I recall Laura Ingraham was an initial supporter, she thought he was a true conservative and that Romney would make the election another 1996. I remember her arguing with Ann Coulter about it (Coulter wanted Romney because he was the toughest on immigration).

The irony...

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

Traditional Reagan "all around conservatives" and many who realized how much he did for the GOP in 1994.  Newt appealed to almost all major wings of the GOP.

On the subject of his appeal to or respect for different wings of the GOP, one very interesting fact about Newt is that - contrary to the image some have of him as a stereotypical conservative Southerner - he was a supporter of and campaigner for Nelson Rockefeller's 1968 Presidential Primary campaign (as well as a born-and-raised Pennsylvanian).

Newt also had support from House Republicans from the '92 Group, a group of moderate Republicans that were in the majority in their home states and didn't wish to be in permanent minority status.  They were interested in governing.

[OSR stands with Israel]

If I recall Laura Ingraham was an initial supporter, she thought he was a true conservative and that Romney would make the election another 1996. I remember her arguing with Ann Coulter about it (Coulter wanted Romney because he was the toughest on immigration).

The irony...

Romney is still pretty right wing on immigration. He opposed Trump's hypothetical DACA deal cause he doesnt think any illegal immigrant should get a pathway to citizenship, defended DeSantis Martha Vinyard's actions etc.

[Republican Party Stalwart]

If I recall Laura Ingraham was an initial supporter, she thought he was a true conservative and that Romney would make the election another 1996. I remember her arguing with Ann Coulter about it (Coulter wanted Romney because he was the toughest on immigration).

The irony...

Romney is still pretty right wing on immigration. He opposed Trump's hypothetical DACA deal cause he doesnt think any illegal immigrant should get a pathway to citizenship, defended DeSantis Martha Vinyard's actions etc.

Interesting. Can you lead me to a source?

[TDAS04]

Macho men. Also many Southerners who didn’t want a “moderate” Mormon New Englander like Mitt. They may have backed Newt over Rick for being somewhat more establishment, for being from their state (as in the case of Georgia), or simply because Santorum didn’t seem that relevant when their state voted (as in the case of South Carolina and Florida).

[Vice President Christian Man]

People who had nostalgia for the '90s government shutdowns