January 25, 2012 06:44 PM UTC

Gingrich Organizes In Colorado As GOP Establishment Quails

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• by: Colorado Pols

FOX 31’s Eli Stokols lays the scene:

[A]fter Newt Gingrich’s ground-shaking, double-digit beat-down in the Palmetto State, the Republican race is suddenly competitve — and set to engage well beyond the handful of early-voting states.

It’s exactly what Colorado Republicans were hoping for when they voted to move up the party’s presidential caucues from March to Feburary.

“When we voted to move up, no one could have predicted the race would be as fluid and dynamic as it’s turned out to be,” Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call told FOX31 Denver Monday. “Not only will Colorado’s voice be heard — it could actually be decisive.”

Call understands that Colorado, with its caucuses wedged in, along with a few other states, between the Florida primary and Super Tuesday, is but one of a handful of states that are becoming increasingly important to the four remaining GOP candidates.

But there’s a new problem emerging for the solidly pro-Mitt Romney upper echelons of the Colorado Republican Party as our caucuses approach next month. Romney’s campaign has been on the ground in Colorado for months working to ensure, as in 2008, that he wins here. Much has been made, both privately to us and publicly, of the sophisticated modeling and well-funded field organization meant to get Romney’s supporters in Colorado out to caucus.

Up until now, Romney’s biggest worry in Colorado was that Rep. Ron Paul’s perennially well-organized followers would deny him a clean caucus victory. This weekend, the focus will shift to Newt Gingrich as his campaign holds caucus organizing meetings around the state. Certainly the Romney campaign has had more time to organize, and has more resources.

The first step is to call everyone who pledged to support Romney, and make sure they still do…