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Sunday, Jan 29, 2012 3:34 AM UTC

Newt’s Herman Cain Hail Mary

At the end of a long and bloody week for the former House speaker comes a Saturday night surprise

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Newt’s Herman Cain Hail MaryFILE -In this April 15, 2011 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain gets ready to speak at a Tea Party rally at the Statehouse in Concord, N.H. For the intertwined U.S. economy and presidential politics, it was a year of twists and unexpected turns. The wobbly economy framed the agenda for both parties, and how it performs in the coming months will help decide whether President Barack Obama wins a second term. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File) (Credit: AP)

Just before last weekend’s South Carolina primary, Herman Cain issued the “unconventional endorsement” he’d been teasing for several weeks: “We the people are still in charge of this country, and I am endorsing we the people!”

But apparently he’s had a change of heart. In a Saturday night surprise, the former GOP candidate showed up with Newt Gingrich at a party dinner in West Palm Beach and threw his support behind him. “I am inspired,” he said with Gingrich standing next to him. “You are inspired.”

The immediate question, of course, is what effect — if any — this will have on Tuesday’s crucial Florida primary. Gingrich came to the Sunshine State a week ago with a head of steam, thanks to his South Carolina landslide, but has since watched his numbers steadily erode as Mitt Romney, a pro-Romney Super PAC, and a host of panicked party establishment figures have opened fire on him. Poorly received debate performances on Monday and Thursday night also cut into former House speaker’s momentum, and the most recent polls now show Romney ahead by a margin in the high single-digits.

The idea that Cain has an army of diehard loyalists in Florida who will now flock to Gingrich seems unlikely. But for Gingrich, the promise of this endorsement can be found in the free media attention it will attract. For the past few days, the political press has emphasized Gingrich’s decline and Romney’s return to “inevitable nominee” status. The unexpected endorsement of a political celebrity could at least partly counter this damning narrative and create a sense of late momentum around Gingrich’s campaign.

 

Steve Kornacki

Steve Kornacki writes about politics for Salon. Reach him by email at SKornacki@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @SteveKornacki More Steve Kornacki.

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