Now Who's No. 2, All by Himself?

Is Newt Gingrich finally winning over the GOP base, or is he just the latest not-Mitt-Romney? Despite early gaffes (big debts at Tiffany's, paid-for Twitter followers) that sent his support plummeting, created money problems, and caused staff members to resign en masse, Gingrich has not only stuck around but now is polling around Herman Cain and Romney, reports the New York Times. In fact, a McClatchy-Marist poll released yesterday shows Gingrich in second place all by himself with 19% support, behind Romney's 23% but ahead of Cain's 17%.

More importantly, Gingrich also is pulling in money now—claiming to have made more on Wednesday than he did in all of July—which has allowed him to hire a staff of six in vital New Hampshire. Gingrich claims he's not just the latest flash in the pan—rather, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and others were all just temporarily filling the "vacuum" he caused because of his early troubles. “I’ve gone from being dead in June to being asked who will be in my Cabinet," said Gingrich. "I think that’s real progress.” He and the other GOP candidates debate again tonight. (More Newt Gingrich stories.)