Newt Gingrich Tells KPEL He’s Betting on Last Ditch ‘National Electronic Convention’ to Win Presidential Nomination

Newt Gingrich told KPEL today he's relying on an unorthodox last-ditch effort to win the Republican presidential nomination - including carrying enough delegates through the primaries to win an epic fight on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The delegates Gingrich hopes to score in this Saturday's Louisiana primary will be very important if he wants to carry out that goal.

"We'll have the first truly open convention since 1920 on the Republican side," Gingrich said. "Nowadays, because we have talk radio, the internet, YouTube, and Facebook, and all of these different devices, I suspect what you'll have is a 60-day national electronic convention as people talk through how to beat Obama," he continued, referring to the period between when the primaries end and the convention begins.

The national convention usually begins which presidential nominee already selected. But Gingrich told KPEL he believes current front runner Romney won't amass enough delegates to automatically be declared winner - giving Gingrich 60 days to sway delegates with his rhetoric.

Of course, Gingrich will have to win enough delegates in the mean time - including those here in Louisiana and the rest of the South, where the Georgia-native has a particularly strong following - in order to make it to the convention. Fox News reports he'll have to win at least 74 percent of the remaining delegates throughout the remaining primaries to make it that far.

Gingrich will be at the Hilton in Lafayette tomorrow for a campaign rally at 7 PM.