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Emanuel Cleaver\r - "I think Newt Gingrich is the probably the most beatable of the candidates and will generate a large turnout for working class people and minorities because of his constant insults,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri). “But because I plan to continue living in America, I’m concerned that a campaign with a man who makes such outlandish comments against poor people and, in some ways, minorities, will further divide a nation that has for the last three and a half years been extremely divided. It would be a horrible, horrible campaign, the consequences of which we’ll experience for the next decade.”\r(Photo: UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg/LANDOV)

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Gwen Moore\r - “I’m not an expert on Republican politics, but I do think there’s a real desire in the Republican base to see someone tear President Obama apart in the debates. I think that that desire may supersede any rational sense that they might have about who would in fact be capable of winning in the general election,” said Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin). “They’re willing to dismiss all of Newt Gingrich’s flaws because they think he’ll be a fiery debater. It will certainly make for excellent TV."\r(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Tim Scott\r - “I think it’s too early to draw any conclusions because our frontrunner seems to change every two or three weeks, so we’ll see if he has staying power. That will be the most important ingredient in this primary process,” said Rep. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).\r(Photo: Courtesy Office of Congressman Tim Scott)

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 Elijah Cummings\r - “I think there’s a very good chance that he will be the nominee in part because he’s saying things that certain people want to hear. His recent comment about poor children is a perfect example. Sometimes people want to play into negative stereotypes about various people and that’s very appealing to some voters because it gives them an opportunity to hear somebody say what they already believe,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland). “The more he talks, the more his numbers go up among Republican ranks, which is very unfortunate, but we’re in a situation where people are looking for anybody that they think might be able to debate President Obama.”\r(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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William Lacy Clay - “He’s very good on his feet and has been able to show command of the issues in the debates. We are licking our chops to see if he gets the nomination because we don’t think he can beat Obama,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Missouri).\r(Photo: MCT/HO/Landov)

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David Scott\r - “Newt Gingrich has a basic tendency to implode. I think he has a kind of self-destruct mechanism with him and his history points that out. Newt’s a bright guy, very quick-minded and full of ideas, but I think the more he talks, if you compare it to the coolness, energy and directness and intelligence of Obama, Obama will prevail,” said Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia).\r(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Photo By Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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Gregory Meeks\r - “Run, Newt, run! If Newt Gingrich wins the nomination, I think we’ll have an interesting debate going forward,” laughed Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-New York). “But this country cannot have him as president. We’d all be in trouble. If you talk to Republicans who worked with and served under him, you might find one who’s supporting him, so nobody who really knows him is supporting him, but the Republican base seems to.”\r(Photo: David R. Lutman/Getty Images)

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Hank Johnson\r - “I think he’s the perfect opponent to face President Obama because he would add an entertaining flair to what would be otherwise be a glib policy debate. We need a glib policy debate, but recognize that from an entertainment value standpoint, Gingrich is made to order,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia). “His past leadership in the House helped cause Congress’s dysfunction and I think he’d be a divisive and polarizing president.”\r\r(Photo: Courtesy Office of Hank Johnson)

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Jesse Jackson Jr.\r - “The former speaker will be a formidable challenger for anyone. He’s very bright, very sharp, a historian. He knows the workings of Washington, but I’m confident President Obama can meet that challenge,” said Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., adding that Gingrich would make a “terrible” president.\r(Photo: REUTERS/Mitch Dumke)