Gingrich’s House record touted at rally in C’ville

As Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses loomed in Tennessee and nine other states, representatives of Newt Gingrich rallied support for the Republican presidential candidate in Collierville Saturday, with former U.S. representative J. C. Watts, R-okla., invoking Gingrich’s conservative record as House Speaker.

“I would encourage people in Shelby County to look at what the candidates did — every one of them — what they did when they had a vote and they had a chance to influence public policy,” he said. “Newt Gingrich was balancing our budget, paying down our public debt, and creating tax relief.”

About two dozen people attended the rally at the town square. Several said they had no preference in the GOP primary but were open to the message of the Gingrich camp.

“I’m open to whoever can beat (President) Obama,” said Collierville native Jack Gentry.

Saturday, that message was focused less on Obama than it was on former Massachusetts governor. Mitt Romney, who Watts said has yet to validate his status as frontrunner in the GOP presidential race.

“I think what this has told us about the perceived frontrunner is, we have to see him as a very weak frontrunner, because he’s had the organization, he’s had the money, but he hasn’t been able to close the deal,” he said.

Romney is scheduled to speak at a rally in Knoxville today hosted by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.