WASHINGTON — Should Newt Gingrich continue to hold the lead in the Republican primaries and go on to win the party's nomination, credit unions will be able to take some comfort the former representative from Georgia is a supporter.
While Speaker of the House in 1997, Gingrich caused one of the loudest cheers ever during CUNA's 1998 Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington when he announced that it was tradition that Speakers of the House not sign on as co-sponsors of any legislation before the House, but he would be departing from that tradition and adding his name as a co-sponsor of HR 1151, the Credit Union Membership Access Act.
Gingrich's move helped to build momentum for the bill, which would eventually pass the House and the Senate by a wide margin. Late last week, Gingrich, who has moved to the top of the polls among candidates seeking the nomination, received an endorsement from the influential Manchester Union Leader in New Hampshire.
