Gingrich: I’m staying in the race past Alabama, Mississippi contests

Newt Gingrich says he isn’t dropping out if he loses two upcoming primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. 

“We’ll clearly do well enough to move on and I think there’s a fair chance we’ll win,” Gingrich said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday.

{mosads}Gingrich said he planned to make it all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. 

“But I just want to set this to rest once and for all, we’re going to Tampa,” Gingrich added in the interview.

Gingrich’s spokesman, R.C. Hammond, had previously said the former House Speaker had to win the upcoming contests in Alabama and Mississippi, taking place on Tuesday, to continue running for president.

Gingrich held the lead in the latest poll of Mississippi. He had 35 percent support to Mitt Romney’s 31 percent in an American Research Group poll released Friday.

Gingrich, Romney and Rick Santorum are essentially tied in Alabama. A new Rassmussen poll found the three candidates within 2 points of each other.

Rick Santorum and his backers have also been suggesting that Gingrich should drop out of the race. Santorum’s campaign has suggested that the former House Speaker would help Santorum by dropping out and a pro-Santorum super-PAC outrightly called for Gingrich to drop out of the race.