“I see this as a Moneyball scenario,” Haley says, comparing the tumultuous, drawn-out primary to the Michael Lewis best-seller about managing a major-league baseball team. “Over the course of a 162-game season, you do the stats and you can predict a likely outcome. But when the postseason comes, it’s a smaller sample size,” he says.

“If we can get to a delegate convention, it will be a different set of rules,” Haley says. “Romney’s money won’t be an issue. He won’t be able to spend money to put attack ads on the arena’s video screens.”

In the meantime, Gingrich’s advisers will work with the speaker to fine-tune his message. With television networks moving their embedded reporters off of the Gingrich beat, a clearer, sharper focus will be necessary in order to sustain national interest, DeSantis says…

Tyler maintains that those who wonder why his old boss is carrying on do not understand how Gingrich believes this election will be understood, years from now, by historians. There has been a flurry of stories questioning whether Gingrich is tarnishing his “legacy” — but to the contrary, Tyler says, Gingrich is confident that his campaign will enhance his long-term reputation as an outside thinker.