Gingrich Campaign Manager, Senior Staff Resign

Newt Gingrich’s rocky debut as a Presidential candidate just became a bit rockier. First he was slammed by conservatives for calling Paul Ryan’s budget “right-wing social engineering.” Then he faced questions in the press over a $500,000 revolving line of credit he received from Tiffany’s, presumably to pay for his wife’s jewelry. Now Gingrich has returned home from a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean to the resignation of his campaign manager Rob Johnson, his spokesperson Rick Tyler, and four other senior advisors and consultants.

While presidential campaigns have recovered from early problems before, the resignation of so many senior staff decapitates Gingrich’s campaign and could prevent Gingrich from competing effectively. The clear lack of confidence in Gingrich among his advisors will scare potential donors and make it more difficult for Gingrich to raise funds.

Gingrich will feel pressure to drop out of the race, but in a brief statement posted to his Facebook page, he suggests that he remains in the running for now:

I am committed to running the substantive, solutions-oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring. The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles.