Weigel

A Newsweek poll, released at the end of January 1995, testing the electability of Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich against President Bill Clinton.

Bill Clinton - 51 percent
Newt Gingrich - 31 percent

The new NBC News/WSJ poll, testing the electability of former Speaker Newt Gingrich against President Barack Obama:

If the next election for president were held today, and Newt Gingrich were the Republican candidate and Barack Obama were the Democratic candidate, for whom would you vote?

Barack Obama - 54 percent
Newt Gingrich - 35 percent

A skeptic might wonder whether Gingrich could really win a presidential election.