Gingrich Misses State GOP Event

The state Republican Party held its annual fund-raiser without its favorite son, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who skipped the event where political rival Steve Forbes delivered the keynote address. Gingrich, in a five-minute video, said he had prior plans with his mother in Pennsylvania. “I apologize I can’t be with you today, but we had a long-standing family reunion with my mother in Harrisburg, and I couldn’t turn her down,” Gingrich said. State Republican leaders expressed disappointment that Gingrich did not attend, as he had in years past. But they stopped short of criticizing his decision. “Obviously I am disappointed he is not here, but I don’t take it as an insult or a slight,” said Rusty Paul, state party chairman. “Newt Gingrich is the speaker of the House, and we are extremely proud of him. But I think I understand what he goes through. I would have loved for him to be here, but that is a decision he makes.”