Gingrich raises money for 2008 bid

atlanta -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) has given himself a deadline of Oct. 21 to raise $30 million for a possible presidential bid, saying the task is difficult but not impossible.

“It is steep. This is like climbing Mt. Everest,” Gingrich said Thursday. “It’s improbable, but either there’s a citizen desire for a citizen candidate, or there isn’t.”

Gingrich said he would give his Atlanta-based political advisor, Randy Evans, until Oct. 21 to raise pledges of $30 million. He said he would not run if he did not generate enough support.

Gingrich said Democratic presidential front-runner New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton evoked fear among conservatives. “There seems to be a very great concern about who could debate Sen. Clinton in September and October of next year. So it seems legitimate to me to reach out and see how deep and how real that support is.”