CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Newt Gingrich's daughter said Tuesday that the former House speaker will "reassess" his campaign after the vote in Delaware, potentially setting the stage for his exit from the Republican presidential race.
Jackie Gingrich Cushman said her father's campaign is slimmer but still winning over voters who aren't yet sold on likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who was expected to win contests Tuesday in Delaware and four other states.
Gingrich has hung his comeback hopes on a strong showing in Delaware and has spent considerable time there in recent weeks. He has not won a presidential primary since finishing first in his home state of Georgia on March 6.
Gingrich's daughter said the campaign would re-evaluate its standing after Tuesday's vote.
"He talked about waiting for results and looking to see what happens and then potentially reassess," she told MSNBC on Tuesday about her father, who has been under pressure for some time to drop out of the race.
She hinted, as Gingrich has in recent days, that the race is fluid and that a dramatic shift could come at any time.
"You never know what's going to happen tomorrow," she said.
Despite trailing Romney in convention delegates and fundraising, Gingrich has vowed to campaign until the party's late-summer convention in Florida. He has more than $4.3 million in debt.
Gingrich was keeping a pair of scheduled appearances Tuesday in North Carolina, including his first election night party since February.
Campaigning in the Wilmington area of Delaware on Monday, Gingrich said winning the state would put him in good position to continue his campaign. But if Romney were to win big in Delaware, "I think you would have to stop and take a deep breath," Gingrich said.
For his part, Romney planned an election night speech in New Hampshire, the site of his first victory on the path to the nomination. Aides said his remarks would focus on the general election campaign against President Barack Obama.
Gingrich cautioned Romney against appearing cocky.
"Gov. Romney is clearly the front-runner. That doesn't mean he's inevitable," Gingrich said Monday.
Romney has won 698 of the 1,144 delegates needed to become the nominee, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Gingrich has 137 delegates.
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Associated Press writer Philip Elliott in Washington and Randall Chase in Dover, Del., contributed to this report.
