Think Newt Gingrich is out of politics?
Think again.
The former House speaker enjoyed a surprise 70th birthday party on Monday night where talk of Gingrich’s political future was a hot topic among attendees. More than 200 of his friends and supporters toasted him at D.C.’s Cafe Milano, his favorite restaurant.
A 2016 presidential run, sources say, hasn’t been ruled out. “There’s no planning or anything like that. But these are people who are big fans of his, so a lot of them want to see him run in 2016,” said one insider who attended.
Though the party was a social occasion, guests included most of the major names in Newt’s political circle — former congressman Bob Walker, pollster Frank Luntz, consultant Rex Elsass, and dozens of former staffers.
Scott Noble, an oil-industry executive and Gingrich confidant, put together a spoof video with an actor imitating President Obama delivering a message to Gingrich. Another ten-minute video featured greetings from Piers Morgan, Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Tavis Smiley, Morning Joe panelists, and others — I’m told the crowd was waiting for Bill Clinton to appear, too, but he didn’t have a cameo.
Gingrich spoke for a few minutes about the importance of family and friends. “He seemed overwhelmed at all the people who were there from all over the country,” an attendee said.