Will Not Seek Presidency in 1996, Gingrich Asserts

House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), after consulting his wife and friends over the weekend, said Monday that he will not run for President in 1996.

Gingrich doused the long-shot hopes of some conservatives who urged him to fill a void left by the departure of former Vice President Dan Quayle from the Republican field. Gingrich previously had seemed to leave a crack in the door by saying only that he had no “plans” to seek the presidency.

At a gathering of business leaders in Georgia on Monday, Gingrich said overseeing passage of the “contract with America” and redefining the role of the federal government are more important to him than running for President.

“I hardly need to run for President to get my message out.” He added that there already were “a bunch of very fine candidates” in the race and that he looked forward to serving with a GOP President to “really complete the revolution.”

Gingrich’s decision leaves the field so far to Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander.