“Newt is a conservative visionary who can transform our country,’’ Perry said. “Newt is not perfect, but who among us is? The fact is, there is forgiveness for those who seek God, and I believe in the power of redemption.’’
Perry’s reference to Gingrich’s personal shortcomings, and the overt appeal to fellow Christians to forgive, came as Gingrich found his surging candidacy staggered by accusations from the second of his three wives.
Marianne Gingrich accused her former husband on ABC’s “Nightline’’ last night of seeking an open marriage in 1999 so he could continue an affair with his mistress, Callista, a congressional aide at the time and now his third wife. Marianne Gingrich expressed her shock at learning that her husband had conducted his affair “in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington,’’ and said he does not have the moral character to be president.
In an interview yesterday with the Washington Post, she said Gingrich demanded a divorce or open marriage at the same time he was touring the country giving speeches on the importance of marriage and families.
Gingrich called the ABC interview “tawdry and inappropriate’’ and brushed aside reporters’ questions during a campaign stop in Beaufort, according to the Associated Press.
David Woodard, a GOP political consultant and Clemson University professor who runs the Palmetto Poll, said the events of the day have made it a nightmare to predict what will happen.
“It’s clear to me that Gingrich is surging,’’ said Woodard, who will release his poll results this morning. “But I suspect that his wife talking about him wanting an open marriage will decrease it.’’
Last night, Gingrich’s campaign released his tax returns, showing he and Callista paid $994,708 in federal taxes in 2010 on about $3.1 million in income, including about $450,000 in wages and $2.5 million in income from partnerships and S corporations. They also paid $19,800 in alimony.
