Gingrich, in Louisiana, speaks to supporters, or not

Reporting from Baton Rouge, La. — 

Newt Gingrich visited the Louisiana State University campus at Baton Rouge on Thursday night to speak to students and the Baton Rouge Tea Party. His supporters, it appeared, did not.

Though Gingrich received a standing ovation when he entered the lecture hall, and though students clapped and took photos of Gingrich with their phones, those clapping the loudest included Tyler Bethea, 20, who is studying petroleum engineering at LSU and doesn’t support the former House speaker.

“I’m for [Rick] Santorum,” he said, though he was holding a Gingrich campaign sign.

Same with Rudy Bateaux, 63, sitting in the front row, clapping loudly and nodding his head at Gingrich’s remarks. He’s not going to vote for Gingrich on Saturday.

“Santorum’s in the driver’s seat,” he said. “He has a great ability to address real issues and put them to the American public.”

An informal poll of students in various aisles did not find any Gingrich supporters.

“It’s time to end it,” said Mitt Romney supporter Brad Kelley, 27, about Gingrich’s campaign.

Gingrich did his best to knock down Santorum in his short speech at the event, a straw poll organized by the Baton Rouge Tea Party and the LSU College Republicans. He seized on Santorum’s comments from earlier in the day that the country might be better off with President Obama than an “Etch-A-Sketch” president like Romney.

“I hope he’s taking it back,” Gingrich said. “Let me tell you: I may have very substantial disagreements with Gov. Romney. But there is no doubt in my mind that in a choice between the governor or Barack Obama, we would have no choice. Barack Obama’s reelection would be a disaster for the U.S.”

Gingrich went on to criticize Romney, reminding the audience that the turnout in the Illinois primary was historically low, which might be a bad sign for the general election.

“We have to have our base turn out,” he said, reveling in his return to speaking to college students. “The conservative movement has to be excited in order for us to win. You cannot try to win the election by getting in the middle.”

Most of Gingrich’s speech stayed close to his talking points – criticizing Obama’s energy policy, promising $2.50 gasoline, vowing to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and shrink the Department of Education, making various hawkish statements on Iran. He also hinted that he would introduce a bill that would return power to the states, although where exactly he was going to introduce it was unclear.

The results of the straw poll will be available Friday, but a large chunk of the audience left after Gingrich and his entourage did, leaving the surrogates for other candidates to talk to a half-empty auditorium.

Skipper McInnis knows the feeling. He was handing out Gingrich signs outside the auditorium, although few people were taking them. When asked whether he was a Gingrich supporter, because many people inside had been wearing Gingrich stickers but supported someone else, he answered: “Oh, yes. You have to vote with your heart.”

McInnis is holding out hope that Santorum or Romney will stumble before the Republican convention, leaving a Gingrich nomination possible. It’s not a big chance, he admitted, but he isn’t ready to give up hope, despite the growing odds stacked against him.

“I think he could win,” he said.