Fellow blogger John Hawkins at Right Wing News endorsed Newt Gingrich today.

I won’t sit here and tell you that he has no flaws or that he hasn’t gone off the reservation a few times. But, I will also tell you that other than Ronald Reagan himself, Newt Gingrich has actually helped push through more conservative legislation than anybody else in the last 30 years. This is the man behind the Contract with America, welfare reform, and a balanced budget in D.C. He has a lifetime ACU rating of 90. This isn’t a man who governed as a centrist and is now telling us how conservative he’ll be this time around. This isn’t a man who simply said “No” to everything that came down the pike because it wasn’t “conservative enough” for him. This is a man who actually moved the ball forward for conservatives on Capitol Hill. When was the last time we got off defense and actually started moving D.C. to the right? Oh, yes, it was when Newt was the Speaker. So, people can criticize his performance as Speaker all they want, but no Republican in D.C. since Newt left has even come close to filling his shoes. Even the best people we have in D.C. right now are doing nothing more than holding the line. There’s a lot to be said for that, but we’ve got to do more than that if we’re ever going to turn the country around.

Every election, it seems, is dubbed the most important in our lifetime, and frankly, this one is no different. There’s been a lot of damage done to our country by Obama, and we need a true leader with experience reducing government to undo the damage and get this country back on track. Of all the candidates we have, the one I trust the most to get the job done is Newt.

The Weekly Standard links to a new Rasmussen poll that shows Newt not only uniting the Tea Party, but also independent voters.

Moreover, Gingrich is winning not only among Republicans but also among those independents who are likely to vote in a Republican primary — in both cases by a margin of about 2 to 1. Among Republicans, he’s winning by a tally of 40 to 18 percent (over Romney). Among those independents who are likely to vote in a Republican primary, he’s winning by a tally of 30 to 17 percent (over Ron Paul).

Sometimes I wonder if conservative are just setting themselves up for disappointment by seeking the “perfect” candidate… which usually means that they choose one candidate early on, ignore that’s candidates flaws, and call every other candidate a RINO who “can’t win.” Even Newt Gingrich has been called “not conservative enough” and it doesn’t get more ridiculous than that. Conservative  author and pundit Richard A. Viguerie, explains Newt’s rise in the polls and links that to Newt’s conservative record of accomplishment.

Gingrich, on the other hand, is well known to many conservative leaders who recognize that, despite his self-acknowledged errors and flaws, he is the one candidate who has a real record of implementing conservative government.

Balancing the budget, welfare reform and a host of other conservative initiatives that Gingrich championed as Speaker are not mere campaign rhetoric — they actually happened.

What’s more, Gingrich looks to the conservative movement for advice, and does not avoid answering the hard questions (or put his finger to the wind looking for guidance from a focus group). He starts from the premise that a government acting from conservative principles would do, or not do, certain things and make certain value judgments about how to solve problems.

Read the whole thing.

Don’t forget that a recent poll shows Newt beating Obama.

A new Rasmussen poll show Newt Gingrich beating Obama with Likely Voters.

The Newt Gingrich surge has moved him to the top of the polls in Iowa, big gains in New Hampshire and now a two-point edge over President Obama in a hypothetical general election match-up.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds Gingrich attracting 45% of the vote while President Obama earns support from 43%. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate, and six percent (6%) are undecided.

And for those of you still on the fence, here’s 11 reasons why Newt will be the GOP nominee.

Classic.

The momentum of Speaker Gingrich continues! Yesterday he received the coveted endorsement of the New Hampshire Union-Leader. In case you didn’t know, the publication has a history of endorsing candidates who go on to win the New Hampshire primary.

America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year. We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing.

He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President. A lot of candidates say they’re going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again.

We sympathize with the many people we have heard from, both here and across the country, who remain unsure of their choice this close to the primary. It is understandable. Our nation is in peril, yet much of the attention has been focused on fluff, silliness and each candidate’s minor miscues.

Truth be known, many in the liberal media are belittling the Republican candidates because they don’t want any of them to be taken as a serious challenger to their man, Obama.

Readers of the Union Leader and Sunday News know that we don’t back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job.

Yes, Newt has the experience we need and the conservative credentials that are vital to putting this country back on track. That’s why I endorsed Newt and that’s why many across the country are joining Newt too. The New Hampshire Union-Leader notes that while Newt is not a perfect candidate, that “Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running.” I agree 100 percent. I’ve seen it throughout this entire campaign season, especially with bloggers who picked a horse early on, decided he or she was the only one who measured up, and then called every other candidate a RINO.

We can win with Newt. I’m sure of it. I’m glad to see  that with his rise in the polls others are starting to give him another look.