Bob Dole Warns GOP About Picking Gingrich

Former presidential candidate Bob Dole warned Thursday that if Republicans select Newt Gingrich as their nominee, they should be prepared for a "sweeping victory by Obama in November."

"I have not been critical of Newt Gingrich but it is now time to take a stand before it is too late," Dole wrote in a statement given to the National Review by the Mitt Romney campaign. Dole endorsed Romney prior to the Iowa caucuses.

Dole, 88, the GOP nominee who unsuccessfully challenged President Bill Clinton in 1996, said that if Gingrich were to be the nominee, it would have an "adverse impact" on down-ballot candidates in November.

"Hardly anyone who served with Newt in Congress has endorsed him and that fact speaks for itself," Dole wrote. "He was a one-man-band who rarely took advice. It was his way or the highway."

He also slammed the former House speaker for having had "a new idea every minute" while in Congress, saying most of them were "off the wall."

It was unclear what effect Dole's statement would have, if any, on the race. Dole is seen by many as the embodiment of the Republican establishment that Gingrich frequently rails against on the campaign trail.

At an afternoon rally in Jacksonville, Gingrich did not mention the former nominee's comments. Read more:NewsCore