Rick Tyler

Newt Gingrich is entering the 2012 presidential race as a familiar face — a 20-year veteran of Congress who served a polarizing turn as House speaker before assuming a career as a prolific political commentator and author. But Gingrich, who officially announced his White House bid Wednesday, is bringing a decidedly different approach to this contest than he did to his previous stint in public office. In his speeches and campaign appearances, Gingrich is expected to lay out a political vision that intertwines fiscal and social conservatism, drawing from a newfound interest in religion he has infused into his work in recent years.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will finally bring clarity to his presidential ambitions with an announcement this week, his spokesman said Monday. Rick Tyler posted on Twitter that Gingrich would announce his plans Wednesday on Twitter and Facebook, and follow up in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity. In March, Gingrich had a somewhat muddled preliminary announcement of an exploratory phase. He filed paperwork with the IRS to raise money under federal limits, but stopped short of a full-blown effort as he wound down his network of independent political and advocacy organizations.

Newt Gingrich will be a candidate for president. That's the word from his spokesman, Rick Tyler, who told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday morning that the former House speaker "will be a candidate by the time he arrives" in Georgia on May 13 to speak to a meeting of state Republicans. "He will have filed and will be an official candidate," Tyler said. The longtime aide to Gingrich declined to elaborate further but acknowledged that Gingrich has leased space for a campaign headquarters in Atlanta, where the effort will be based.