Gingrich: Palin Will Not Be the Future GOP Leader

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 7:22 AM on November 17, 2008.

If there's a push in some conservative circles to consider Sarah Palin the future of the GOP, and I believe there is, some high-profile Republicans aren't exactly on board. Last week, members of the Republican Governors Association were less than pleased with a Palin-centered focus, and yesterday, Newt Gingrich resisted the idea of Palin leadership.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is batting down the hype that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin heads into 2012 as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.

...Gingrich, an architect of the Republican revolution of 1994, took Palin down a notch, asserting that she would not become the party's leader, as some have predicted.

"I think that she is going to be a significant player," said Gingrich during an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation". "But she's going to be one of 20 or 30 significant players. She's not going to be the de facto leader."

Since the defeat of the GOP ticket, Palin has pursued an aggressive media strategy, scheduling a full slate of interviews to keep her face on television.... But Gingrich on Sunday sought to divert some media attention away from Palin and to other governors such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and Utah Gov. John Huntsman (R).

"She's going to be a much bigger story in the short run," said Gingrich, explaining Palin's higher media profile compared to other GOP governors. "But, I think, as she goes back to being governor and as she works in Alaska, you're going to see a group of governors emerge, not just Sarah Palin."

Palin may want to the ostensible leader of the party, but those with similar ambitions aren't going to just hand her the reins.

Tagged as: gop, leadership, gingrich, palin