Newt Gingrich says he will join the campaign trail for Mitt Romney next week with two events in Georgia, including the state’s GOP convention.
Gingrich, the former House speaker who represented Georgia, last week suspended his 2012 GOP presidential campaign. Gingrich won only two primaries in his campaign – Georgia and South Carolina.
A Gingrich campaign spokesman told CNN on Friday night about plans to help Romney, the likely GOP presidential nominee, starting at the GOP convention next weekend. He also reportedly will campaign for Romney in Las Vegas.
Gingrich has said he fully backs Romney and did so in his May 2 exit speech, though the endorsement seemed less than overwhelming.
“I am asked sometimes is Mitt Romney conservative enough?” Gingrich said. “And my answer is simple – compared to Barack Obama? This is not a choice between Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan. This is a choice between Mitt Romney and the most radical leftist president in American history."
Gingrich’s arrival to the campaign trail is followed by that of several other former GOP candidates including GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Rick Santorum, Romney’s once-closest challenger, endorsed Romney on Monday night, toward the end of a letter to supporters that also acknowledged their remaining “differences.”
Santorum said in the letter he would “keep lines of communication open with (Romney) and his campaign,” but gave no indication he would join the campaign trail.
On Saturday, Pawlenty will attend two events for the Romney campaign, including the state GOP convention in Norman.
Bachmann, R-Minn. and Tea Party candidate, endorsed Romney last week at a campaign stop in Portsmouth, Va.