Gingrich Says "People Power" Will Prevail

Newt Gingrich drew a huge crowd at an afternoon rally in Sarasota Tuesday, where he predicted that "people power" will triumph over money in next week's primary.

The former House speaker was referring to the vast sums of money being spent on Florida's airwaves by his chief rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

According to some estimates, as many as 3,000 people gathered to listen to Gingrich speak at an airplane hanger in Sarasota -- probably making it his best attended event of the 2012 cycle.

"You have to imagine looking out over this crowd to see how it makes me feel good about Florida," a beaming Gingrich told the crowd, shortly after arriving on stage at 2:30pm ET.

"I predict people power will beat money power in Florida," Gingrich told his audience, a clear reference to Romney's heavy spending in the state.

Gingrich went on to tweak Romney over a media report saying he had hired some of former Florida Governor Charlie Crist's ex-staffers.

Crist famously left the Republican Party to become an independent during his 2010 Senate run when polls showed he could not win the Republican primary. He then lost to Florida's Republican junior Senator Marco Rubio in the general election.

"We discovered last night that Mitt Romney has picked up Charlie Crist's campaign people," he said to groans from the audience. "I thought that told you everything you need to know about this primary."

A confident Gingrich, later predicted that a win on Jan. 31 in Florida's winner-takes-all primary would secure the nomination.

"If we win the primary next week I believe I will become the Republican nominee," he said.

"As the nominee I get to come back to Tampa in August and we'll have a really big rally for that," he added, referring to this year's Republican National Convention which will be held in Tampa August 27-30.

Jeff Zeleny for The New York Times noted Tuesday's event was the "biggest rally of Gingrich 2012 here in Sarasota."

The Hill, meanwhile, reported that Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond quoted a local sheriff as saying the turnout was approximately 2,500.

It was the candidate's second event of the day, following an earlier rally in St. Petersburg.

Gingrich -- who came out of nowhere to win the South Carolina primary and now leads Romney in Florida, according to the latest polls -- exited the stage with his wife Callista to Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now?"