Gingrich Campaign Press Release - Momentum Builds for Gingrich in Washington State

On the second day of campaign stops across Washington State, Newt continued to draw large and enthusiastic crowds as his momentum builds across the Evergreen State. In the morning, Newt visited the State Capitol in Olympia and met with Republican State Legislators. In the afternoon, Newt held townhall meetings in Federal Way and Everett. In Federal Way, over 500 people packed into the Best Western to hear Newt's bold solutions. Afterwards, Newt spoke to an overflow crowd of 200 people outside the hotel who couldn't make it inside.

Gingrich used his Washington visit to plug his plan to deliver $2.50 a gallon gas prices. He spoke about his energy policies at the rally, criticizing President Barack Obama's policies as anti-American energy. Gingrich supports expanding U.S. oil and natural gas development.

That part of his platform stood out to Jennie Stephenson of University Place, who had Gingrich sign the back of her Kindle, on which she has one of his books.

"With the gas prices going up the way they are, it's really taking a bite out of the budget of American families," Stephenson said. "His approach to solving our energy problems I think is so much better than Barack Obama's."
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Lynn Norden of Quilcene will be one of those caucusing for Gingrich.

"He's a proven conservative revolutionary and a visionary," Norden said at the rally, citing Gingrich's flat tax policy and space exploration plans.

Norden was among those to get a Gingrich signature — on his homemade "Happy Newt Year 2012" sign.

In Everett, Newt slammed President Obama's anti-American energy policies before a packed house at the Historic Everett Theatre.

Gingrich spent most of his 41-minute speech contrasting the energy policies he'd pursue with Obama's policies. He disputed the president's assertion earlier this week that the federal government can do little to bring a rapid drop in gas prices.

Gingrich said that, if elected, he would approve a proposed oil pipeline to carry Canadian oil produced from tar sands to refineries in Texas. He also would reopen offshore leases in the Gulf of Mexico for development and allow oil exploration in Alaska.

Added up, those opportunities could increase the U.S. supply by more than 2 million gallons a day.

"If we set our minds to it, by the end of this decade we'd be the largest oil producer in the world," he said.
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Following the address, Gingrich and his wife, Callista, signed autographs and posed for photos with dozens of people, including Ava Gardner of Everett.

"I want this man. I want to hire this man," she said. "I have so much faith in him.

"He said it's going to take a while to fix things because they've made a mess of it out there," she said. "I know it won't be done today. It won't be done tomorrow. But, with him, it will be done."

Read more about the Everett townhall here. For a recap of day one of Newt's campaign swing in Washington State, click here.