Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, while addressing the frenzy over Beto O'Rourke's dive into the 2020 Democratic pool of candidates, said he has another favorite to win the eventual party nomination: Sen. Kamala Harris.
"[She is an] African-American woman, [from] the largest state in the country," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" about the California Democrat. "I think she is a very effective campaigner. I think she will end up being the nominee."
But that doesn't mean Gingrich thinks she'll win against President Donald Trump, and it didn't stop him from getting a dig in at her politics, which include ending private insurance.
"In a Democratic primary, there is nothing nutty enough to disqualify you," said Gingrich.
Meanwhile, Gingrich compared O'Rourke, the former representative from Texas who nearly defeated Sen. Ted Cruz last year for the Senate to another newcomer when it comes to experience: Abraham Lincoln.
"I think that Lincoln had only one term in the House and lost a Senate race," said Gingrich.
But that's where the comparisons ended.
"Lincoln ended up as an amazing president," said Gingrich. "Maybe that will happen to Beto O'Rourke but I somehow doubt it."
Gingrich added that O'Rourke had $80 million in the race against Cruz, but still lost in Texas, and he doesn't think he can take the state from Trump either.
"I love the line, I think in the "Vanity Fair" piece, he said 'I was born to do this,'" said Gingrich. "I thought, there is a certain ego illusion here that the planet had the magic moment and Beto O'Rourke showed up."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.