Presidential Candidate, McLean Neighbor Gingrich Finishes Last in Illinois Primary

Presidential candidate and McLean neighbor Newt Gingrich finished last in Tuesday's Illinois primary.

Gingrich received less than 10 percent of the primary vote and finished behind U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won with nearly 50 percent of the vote, according to the New York Times.

Great Falls neighbor and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum finished second.

The Los Angeles Times reported: "The poor showing was yet another blow to Gingrich’s roller-coaster candidacy as Rick Santorum -- once considered Gingrich’s close rival for deeply conservative voters -- appeared to be pulling away and cementing himself as the No. 2 candidate.

"Unlike previous primary nights in which Gingrich has taken advantage of the media opportunity to speak publicly about his campaign, he stayed out of sight on Tuesday and instead issued an email “reacting to the results of the Illinois primary,” the Times reported.

The Huffington Post reported more possible bad news for Gingrich: Nine delegates that belonged to Newt Gingrich have shifted their allegiance to Santorum, according to Fox Chicago News.

It happened Monday night when Gingrich supporter Jim Runyon announced a change of heart. The vice chairman of the Crawford County Illinois Republican Party recruited many of the former speaker's Illinois delegates in six downstate districts, The Huffington Post reported.

Runyon said these delegates were pledged to Gingrich because he asked them to be. Now he's asking them to vote for Santorum if they make it to the Republican convention in Tampa this August. Runyon told Fox Chicago News that he's convinced nine Gingrich delegates in four congressional districts to abandon their promises to vote Gingrich, The Huffington Post reported.

Gingrich was won just two states -- Georgia, where he was elected to the U.S. Congress, and neighboring South Carolina. Yesterday he was reportedly campaigning in Louisiana for that state's Saturday primary.