Newt Gingrich Charging Supporters $50 To Take A Photograph With Him

Say cheese! Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is spearheading a new fundraising effort this week to inject new life into his struggling campaign, charging supporters $50 to take a photograph with him.

“Some campaigns make you travel all the way to Wall Street to pay $2,500 for a photo with a candidate,” Gingrich spokesperson R.C. Hammond said in a statement. “We chose to do it differently and ask our supporters for a nominal donation.”

Gingrich’s campaign, which has only won two states so far, is hemorrhaging cash, announcing last week it had spent $200,000 more in February than it took in.

National Journal’s Sarah Hulsenga observed that photographs with Gingrich used to be free, before he ran into cash problems.

It was the first time that the former House speaker has charged those attending one of his public speaking events to pose for a photograph with him. Lately, a member of his campaign staff has been snapping photos of any interested attendee and later posting them online at the campaign’s website, newt.org.

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey thought this was a sign Gingrich should start packing things up.

In addition, Morrissey called upon Gingrich to start making the transition:

Newt Gingrich has been a valuable member of the Republican Party for many years. He gave this campaign his best effort, and helped focus other candidates on the message. It’s time for Gingrich to get off the campaign trail and look for other ways to contribute. This interregnum between Louisiana and the April 3rd primaries is a good time for Gingrich to make the transition.

(h/t CNN)