The Republican presidential hopeful and his third wife, Callista, will be in Lafayette from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday for a meet and greet.' Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is stopping in Lafayette Wednesday as one of about a dozen Louisiana destinations Gingrich and wife Callista are planning to visit this week before Saturday's Louisiana Republican presidential primary.
According to the Louisiana Republican Party's website, Gingrich will be in Lafayette from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, though the location of the meet and greet has not yet been released. A full listing of scheduled Louisiana appearances by Republican presidential candidates is available on the Louisiana Republican Party's website.
Gingrich's Lafayette stop comes a week after Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum celebrated his March 14 primary victories in Alabama and Mississippi with a speech given at the Lafayette Hilton.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is not slated to visit Lafayette, but a Louisiana GOP staffer said Tuesday morning that the event listings are updated often and "seem to be changing every hour." Romney's only scheduled Louisiana appearance so far is a Friday night fundraiser at The Petroleum Club in Shreveport, according to the state Republican Party's website.
New Orleans' WWL-TV reports that Santorum is expected to win Saturday's Louisiana primary with more than 25 percent of the vote:
The telephone poll of 515 likely Republican voters reveals Santorum leading the field ... Mitt Romney places second with just under 21 percent and is in a virtual tie with Newt Gingrich, who has almost 20 percent. Ron Paul is way behind, with less than 6 percent. Undecided gets the biggest score of all - 26 percent.
Read the full WWL report here.