Gingrich Revamps Campaign To Deny Romney Delegates [VIDEO]

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is drastically reorganizing his money- and delegate-deprived campaign to focus on low-cost social media and an effort to cajole delegates to back him over front-runner Mitt Romney.

Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond says one-third of Gingrich’s campaign staff has been laid off and his campaign manager has been asked to resign.

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Hammond said Tuesday night that Gingrich’s new strategy hinges on preventing Romney from winning the 1,144 delegates he needs for the nomination. Gingrich plans to spend much less time in primary states and will instead personally call delegates to try to persuade them to back him at the Republican National Convention in August.

Gingrich plans to shift the campaign’s focus to digital outreach — in particular YouTube, Twitter and other social media.

Romney, on Leno, cracks wise — just a little

On Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show,” Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney was mostly business — though he slipped in a few jokes at the expense of his host and his main political opponent.

Romney cracked Tuesday night that he’d pick Leno rival David Letterman as his vice president, talked at length about health policy and said he’d be happy to have a rival of his own, Rick Santorum, serve in a Romney administration.

And when he was asked to pick just a word or two to describe potential running mates, Romney had choice words for Santorum: “Press secretary.”

The jab played off the former Pennsylvania senator’s recent run-in with a New York Times reporter. Santorum had cursed at the reporter, accusing him of misinterpreting some of his remarks.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)