Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich rift has old roots

WASHINGTON - The defining moment of the current Republican presidential campaign may have come 17 years ago.


In his unsuccessful 1994 bid for a US Senate seat, Mitt Romney wooed Massachusetts moderates by famously declaring: “I’m not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.’’ Less remembered, but perhaps even more relevant today, was how he labeled Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America “a mistake.’’


Gingrich, meanwhile, used the contract to lead a GOP revolution that took over the US House. Casting himself as a loyal disciple of Ronald Reagan, he won and became speaker.


That crucial period defines both men as they battle for the conservative base to become their party’s presidential nominee. It also provides a window into the split among Republicans about the direction of their party, which continues to be divided between the establishment wing associated with Romney and the more revolutionary faction linked to Gingrich.


“I think it has always haunted him,’’ said John Lakian, Romney’s primary opponent in the 1994 race, referring to the way Romney distanced himself from the conservative wing. For Lakian, who said he “tilts toward Gingrich,’’ watching the current race seems like an echo of his own campaign against Romney, in which he positioned himself as the more conservative candidate.


Gingrich, meanwhile, used the contract to lead a GOP revolution that took over the US House. Casting himself as a loyal disciple of Ronald Reagan, he won and became speaker.


That crucial period defines both men as they battle for the conservative base to become their party’s presidential nominee. It also provides a window into the split among Republicans about the direction of their party, which continues to be divided between the establishment wing associated with Romney and the more revolutionary faction linked to Gingrich.


“I think it has always haunted him,’’said John Lakian, Romney’s primary opponent in the 1994 race, referring to the way Romney distanced himself from the conservative wing. For Lakian, who said he “tilts toward Gingrich,’’ watching the current race seems like an echo of his own campaign against Romney, in which he positioned himself as the more conservative candidate.


Gingrich, 68, spent 20 years in the U.S. House, including four as speaker. Since 1998, he has had a lucrative, Washington-based career as a consultant, speaker and author.


Both men have earned millions of dollars over the years.


The AP-GfK nationwide poll of Republicans found Gingrich with an edge over Romney as the candidate they'd like to see win the nomination. However, it falls just within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.


Voter preferences in early voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina do not necessarily match those in national polls. The Iowa caucus is Jan. 3. The New Hampshire primary is one week later.


For months, Romney has hovered at or near the top of Republican polls, while various rivals have risen and fallen. Gingrich's rise is at least as dramatic as the recent plummets of businessman Herman Cain and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.


An October AP-GfK poll of Republicans found Gingrich well behind the leading candidates, with 7 percent. Romney had 30 percent. The new poll finds Gingrich preferred by 33 percent of Republicans and Romney by 27 percent. All other candidates are in single digits.

Tags: Mitt Romney,  Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Perry