Meeks could become one of Gingrich's 'rebel soldiers'

Few people are more surprised about Newt Gingrich's rise in GOP presidential polls than Annette Meeks.

"Most people wrote off the campaign this summer," she said, noting when his entire senior staff resigned en masse. "But he's the toughest man in American politics."

Perhaps nobody in Minnesota politics has closer ties to Gingrich than Meeks, who served as his deputy chief of staff while he was Speaker of the House in the late 1990s. Gingrich has surprised political watchers by clawing his way to the top of most GOP presidential polls, almost entirely on the strength of debate performances.

Critics have noted Gingrich's rise despite political baggage and a formidable list of political enemies. Gingrich ran into ethics trouble in the House and had two well-publicized extramarital affairs, including one with his current wife. This week, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., took a shot at Gingrich when he announced he would not seek re-election.

"He has repeatedly sustained body blows that would cause mere mortals to give up immediately and never, ever return to the public realm again," said Meeks, who served as Tom Emmer's running mate during his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid. "Yet, here he is."

Why has Gingrich's campaign caught fire?

"Republicans really want to win and they really want somebody who is tough enough to face onslaught they think will come from the Obama machine," she said. "He's worked at the highest levels of American government, and none of the other candidates have. So I think the American people are giving Newt a second look."

Meeks described Gingrich has having an acute sense of the voters' psyche. But he has made mistakes, she said.

Gingrich and a lot of young House Republicans believed the American public would turn on President Clinton when they aired his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, Meeks said.

"Instead, they turned on House Republicans," she said. "That really hurt Newt personally and professionally."

Meeks has stayed out of picking favorites in the presidential contest, particularly when both Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann were in the race.

But Meeks didn't entirely rule out helping her old boss.

"Every once in a while in one of those debates I think I am going to be one of those rebel soldiers packing up and moving to Iowa" to help during the caucuses, she said.