Newt Gingrich doesn’t hesitate when it comes to tonight’s midterm election: “I think we’ll have a great evening. And we will control the Senate.”
The former Speaker of the House and co-creator of the Republican Party’s 1994 Contract with America told The Fiscal Times Tuesday afternoon, “I think you’ll see a [GOP] tide all the way down to the state legislative level, where we may be at the all-time high water mark in the history of the party.”
Related: CNN Exit Polls Show an Angry Electorate
The GOP, said Gingrich, is going to come out of the election “with the potential to be the reform party, with the potential of offering Obama many things to veto next year. And given the way Mitch McConnell intends to run the Senate, almost everything would be done in a bipartisan way – which would make it very expensive for Obama to say no.”
Ahead of the full election results this evening, The Fiscal Times engaged Gingrich on a number of issues. Here’s his no-holds-barred take:
Biggest Surprises in This Election Cycle:
“The difficulties that [Pat] Roberts [of Kansas] had in getting on track. The ability of [Kay] Hagan to stay standing despite everything. And Scott Brown’s remarkable run in New Hampshire, and the perseverance he showed to move forward.”
Biggest Disappointments:
“I’m very concerned about the governor’s race in Pennsylvania, which clearly had not been competitive all year. That’s been a real disappointment. And I’m a little disappointed that we had not broken loose in Florida – it’s still up in the air. Rick Scott is not a natural politician and Charlie Crist is.”
Related: Will a GOP Election Win Bring Back Fiscal Headwinds?
On What Speaker John Boehner Will Be Facing After the Election:
“I think he will be solidified in his position and I think he wants to make use of it in an intelligent way. It’s worth anyone’s while to go back and read or re-read the speech he gave at AEI [the American Enterprise Institute] in September, in which he outlined five ways to fix the country.” Boehner’s points included reforming the tax code, fixing the deficit, and reining in the country’s regulatory system.
On How President Obama Will React to the Election Results:
“I used to say we'll cooperate but not compromise. And I think one of the questions after tonight will be: Does Obama deliberately raise the ante every time there's a conversation? If the Republicans come in and say, 'We're willing to pass bold dramatic tax reform,' and he says, 'It has to really raise a trillion dollars over the next 10 years,' well, that's just deliberately destroying it. So what will his take on everything be? Is he going to be collaborative or confrontational? It will be up to him.”
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