Gingrich scrambling to get into primaries

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- With Newt Gingrich now a serious contender for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination, his campaign staff is scrambling to get him on primary ballots.

One of the biggest challenges is filing for the Ohio primary, The Washington Times reported. The deadline was 4 p.m. Wednesday.

"We are going to give it our damnedest. We are going to do everything in our capacity to meet this deadline," R.C. Hammand, a spokesman for the campaign, said. "As far as the next deadline, we're on pace for everything else."

Hammand said the campaign decided to bypass the Missouri primary, which is non-binding, and focus on the state's caucuses. The campaign met deadlines Tuesday in Tennessee and Wednesday in Oklahoma.

Most reporters and political analysts wrote Gingrich's candidacy off months ago after he decided to take a trip to Europe with his wife, Callista, and his staff resigned en masse. Gingrich, a former House speaker who has not held elective office for more than a decade, was described as entering the race to sell his books and boost his network of organizations.

But Gingrich has surged in the polls since accusations of sexual misconduct by businessman Herman Cain surfaced. He now leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in many states.