Gingrich says he will not challenge Chambliss in 2014

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Tuesday he would not mount a primary challenge against Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).

The senator has come under fire in recent weeks after telling WMAZ-TV that he would break with Grover Norquist's Taxpayer Protection Pledge in order to strike a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of automatic spending cuts and tax increase set to hit next month.

But Gingrich, who sought the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, told National Review he had "explicitly no interest" in seeking the Georgia Senate seat.

A poll from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling released Monday showed Chambliss could be vulnerable to a primary challenge. Only 38 percent of GOP primary voters surveyed said they wanted Chambliss to be their party's nominee, versus 43 percent who say they would prefer a more conservative candidate.

Of those surveyed, 24 percent said it was important to abide by the Norquist tax pledge, while 21 percent said it was unimportant.

The survey also found that if Republican presidential contender Herman Cain mounted an electoral challenge, he could edge out Chambliss. Cain was the choice of half of GOP voters in a hypothetical one-on-one match-up, compared to 36 percent for Chambliss.

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