Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a news conference on Thursday in Atlanta. Gingrich says he is launching a website to explore a run for president. His wife Callista is seen at right. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)ATLANTA-Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced Thursday he is exploring a run for president and has launched a website to collect donations so he can gauge support.
The Republican stopped short of forming an exploratory committee, which would have made him a legal candidate.
Instead, Gingrich, speaking briefly with reporters in his old home state of Georgia, said he and his wife “will look at this very seriously and we will very methodically lay out the framework of what we’ll do next.”
Gingrich announced the launch of a website to accept donations within Federal Election Commission contribution limits. If he decides to run, all donations collected from the site will have to be reported.
“We are excited about exploring whether there is sufficient support for my potential candidacy for president of this exceptional country,” Gingrich says on the website, which features a photo of the former Georgia congressman and his wife, Callista, and provides links to social media sites.
Gingrich is doing what is known by the Federal Elections Commission as testing the waters. That means the former Georgia congressman can raise and spend money to hire staff and conduct polling to gauge how much support he would have for a presidential bid. He will have to disclose his fundraising and spending only if he jumps into the race.
Gingrich led the Republican Party to a sweeping victory in the midterm elections of 1994. That win gave the GOP a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Gingrich rose to House speaker in 1995 but was effectively ousted by his own party four tumultuous years later.
Among the other potential Republican presidential contenders are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.
Gingrich met privately with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a key supporter, Thursday to talk about states rights under the 10th Amendment and what he said are increasing federal government mandates.
Gingrich ignored questions as he entered and exited the Capitol.
Associated Press writers Shannon McCaffrey and Ray Henry contributed to this report.