Byron York says that although Gingrich “elevated the GOP race“, his exit from it was overdue.
Gingrich never recovered from Romney’s thrashing in Florida, although he later won his home state of Georgia by a huge margin. With that exception, the Gingrich campaign faltered step by step. First Gingrich was going to win the nomination. Then he was going to keep Romney from winning the nomination. Then he was going to fight for conservative positions in the Republican platform. Then he withdrew.
In an organizational sense, Gingrich never really had much of a campaign. But he is a serious man who has accomplished big things in his life, and his presence made the race a more substantial affair. And it’s fair to say Romney became a better candidate after facing the Gingrich challenge. Even those Republicans who never wanted Gingrich to win should be glad he ran.