ORLANDO, Fla. – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich stopped in Florida on Friday to meet with voters and open an Orlando campaign office.
"With your help, we're going to win the Florid primary," Gingrich told the crowd. "When we win in South Carolina, we're going to come here and we're campaign everywhere, and we need your help to do that."
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The former House speaker began his day visiting Versailles Restaurant in Miami's Little Havana. The restaurant is a popular meeting spot for older Cuban exiles and has been a traditional stopping point for candidates.
Gingrich then traveled to Orlando, where he opened a campaign office on Orange Avenue. Supporters lined the block to hear the Republican hopeful.
"I think I will be the conservative, he won't," said. "There is a profound difference between a Massachusetts moderate and a Reagan Republican."
Gingrich has heavy local support, including from former Orange County mayor Rich Crotty who is also the state chairman of Gingrich's campaign, along with former congressman and candidate for governor Bill McCollum, county clerk Lydia Gardner, current Orange county Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orange County property appraiser Bill Donegan. They will all be at a fundraiser dinner for Gingrich on Saturday.
Florida's primary election takes place on Jan. 31, and recent polls show Mitt Romney with a double-digit lead for the GOP presidential race in the Sunshine State.