Politics & Government

Gingrich Drops Presidential Bid, Owes $4M in Debt

A look at Gingrich's campaign money

Former House speaker and McLean neighbor Newt Gingrich formally suspended his presidential campaign Wednesday at the Hilton Arlington in Ballston, so McLean can look forward to seeing more of him in the Giant and at McLean Family Restaurant.

Gingrich, a Republican, raised $22.3 million in contributions in a campaign where he entered 31 primaries and won two — Georgia and neighboring South Carolina.

He spent $21.1 million and leaves the campaign $4.3 million in debt, according to Open Secrets, a website that tracks political contributions.

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Little of that money came from Gingrich's neighbors in McLean or from his adopted state of Virginia. He was born in Pennsylvania.

The top metro area contributing to the Gingrich campaign was Atlanta, where he raised nearly $650,000, according to Open Secrets. He raised half that amount, about $370,000, in the Washington metro area that includes parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia.

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In his home ZIP code of McLean, 22101, one of the richest ZIP codes in the United States, Gingrich raised only about $30,000. Republican donors in the McLean ZIP code have contributed overwhelming to presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

The most generous ZIP code to Gingrich was Palm Beach, Fla., where supporters contributed nearly $140,000, according to Open Secrets.

Gingrich also received financial backing from four political action committees, or PACs. The largest was Winning Our Future, which collected nearly $24 million. Of that, $20 million came from Sheldon Adelson and wife Miriam of Las Vegas.

Adelson, a Las Vegas casino mogul, said in late March that Gingrich's campaign was nearing its end. Gingrich had collected about 140 delegates and 1,144 are needed for the nomination, according to CBS News.

Gingrich publicly thanked Adelson and many other supporters in Arlington on Wednesday.


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