Gingrich to speak at 9th District Republican Convention

CUMMING - Former U.S. House Speaker and potential presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has confirmed he will address the Ninth District Republican Party Convention in a couple of weeks.

The meeting will be held in Cumming on Saturday, April 16.

Gingrich is expected to decide early next month whether he will run for the Republican presidential nomination next year.

Gingrich was first elected to Congress in 1978 and served the Sixth District of Georgia for 20 years.

"Georgia is going to pick up a new congressional district [as a result of last year's Census]," said Doug Grammer, Ninth District Chair. "Georgia is an important stop for serious candidates on the national level. It was the first state to be called for McCain in 2008, and we want to be the first state called for whichever nominee we select to remove President Obama from office in 2012."

The convention is expected be attended by more than 500 delegates and alternates from around the 15-county district which includes a large part of northeast Georgia.