Holly Bailey

Newt Gingrich is a Downton Abbey superfan

He even wrote a letter to Vanity Fair about it.

Newt Gingrich to appear on Parks and Recreation →

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“I am not totally certain I’ll get to the moon colony,” Newt Gingrich said, as he officially suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Still, he called his 2012 bid a “truly wild ride” full of “astonishing” and “amazing” moments. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)

Newt Gingrich won’t quit the Republican presidential race tonight, but safe to say, it will probably happen soon. And while, barring a last minute miracle, he’ll come up short in his bid for the GOP nomination, Gingrich is (as I’ve said before) is the far and away winner when it comes to hilarious political photo-ops this election.

Who else would have posed, arms extended, in front of a giant rocket or campaigned at nail salons and candy stores? And we haven’t even talked about his tour of the nation’s zoos—though his campaign blew a good opportunity there by not taking his traveling press along. All this to say: I’ll really miss those hilarious Newt photos.

(Photos: top and left by Evan Vucci/AP and, right, Charles Dharapak/AP)

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Sooner or later, Newt Gingrich will end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination—at least, Mitt Romney hopes he will. And I have to say, it will be a sad day for political photography since he’s the only candidate still willing to do hilarious photo ops, like this one at the NASCAR Museum in Charlotte over the weekend. Newt Gingrich in a suit pretending to fuel up a fake NASCAR? Hilarious. (Photo credit: NBC’s Alex Moe)

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Today in Republican presidential news: Newt Gingrich is apparently live-tweeting his visit to the zoo in Salisbury, Maryland.

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“I love life. I love getting up in the morning. I love seeing what the weather is going to be. I love animals. I love the process of interacting with people. I like learning. So I really am basically cheerful everyday because in my mind everyday is cool; I am still here.”

—Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail today, as quoted by NBC’s First Read

(Photo of Gingrich being hugged by two supporters in Birmingham, Ala., by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Supporters of Newt Gingrich await the candidate at a stop in Rosemont, Ill., on Wednesday. (Photo by Damon Winter/NYT)

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Campaign button spotted in Robertsdale, Ala: “Newt-er Obama,” complete with Obama logo balls. (Photo by John David Mercer/AP)

(Previously: Gingrich shops for campaign buttons in Iowa)

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Newt Gingrich campaigns at Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., on Tuesday. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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Here is a photo of Newt Gingrich making a pirate hook with his finger in Brunswick, Georgia. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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Newt Gingrich campaigns in Rome, Ga., on Tuesday. (Photo by Evan Vucci/AP)