Newt Gingrich is escorted by his security team in Nashua, N.H. in January. (Charles Krupa/AP))
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will receive protection from the United States Secret Service beginning at midnight tonight, a source close to his campaign told Yahoo News.
Gingrich, who is campaigning in Georgia and Alabama on Super Tuesday, is the third candidate still in the nomination race to receive a security unit from the government agency, after Romney and Santorum. The investment in the costly service suggests that the campaign plans to continue its efforts into the spring.
In an interview with Yahoo News in November, Gingrich said he would hold off on a Secret Service detail as long as possible.
"We've explored it with them, and I think at the moment I would prefer not to do it as long as we could," he said at the time. "I prefer as much as possible to remain open to people."
Ron Paul remains the only candidate not to have Secret Service protection.
Read coverage of Super Tuesday 2012 at Yahoo News.
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