WASHINGTON -- A senior aide to Newt Gingrich told The Huffington Post late Sunday that the former House Speaker from Georgia has not spoken with Texas Gov. Rick Perry about naming him as a running mate.
"Of course we think very highly of Gov. Perry and appreciate very much his generous support, but this is not a topic the two principals have discussed," Kevin Kellems, a senior adviser to Gingrich, told HuffPost in an e-mail.
Fox News' Carl Cameron reported Sunday that senior Gingrich aides were discussing naming Perry as a running mate, with some indication that the rumor was floated in part to influence Republican voters in Mississippi and Alabama, who will go to the polls in primary elections on Tuesday.
Gingrich has come under pressure to consider dropping out of the race, as former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) racked up a series of wins on Super Tuesday this past week and then again on Saturday in Kansas. Most of the calls for Gingrich to end his run have come from those who are supportive of Santorum, including a super PAC working on his behalf.
But if Gingrich does not win Mississippi or Alabama, it's likely that there will be talk in the GOP -- beyond Santorum backers -- of giving Santorum a clear, one-on-one shot at frontrunner Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.
Kellems did not answer a follow up e-mail about whether Gingrich is considering asking Perry to join his ticket.