Gingrich: Only I Can Go 'Toe to Toe' With Obama

Fresh off his South Carolina primary victory, Newt Gingrich sought to paint himself as the only Republican capable of successfully taking on President Barack Obama in November.

"I think you can draw a very strong case that in the end the dynamics of a Gingrich-Obama fight are much better for Republicans than the dynamics of a Romney-Obama fight," Gingrich said on CNN's "State of the Union." The former House Speaker has repeatedly cast Mitt Romney as a "Massachusetts moderate" incapable of defeating Obama.

Gingrich beat the former Massachusetts governor by double-digits in the Palmetto State. Heading into Florida's Jan. 31 primary, Gingrich said he thinks South Carolina voters picked him out of "a belief that I could debate Obama head to head, that I could convey conservative values."

“My job in Florida is to convince people that I am the one candidate who can clearly defeat Obama in a series of debates and the one candidate who has big enough solutions that they would really get America back on track,” Gingrich said.

"I think we had better be prepared for a tough campaign, whoever we nominate," he said. "I can go toe to toe with President Obama on big things."

Gingrich offered a small amount of praise for Romney over the announcement that he would be releasing his tax returns Tuesday. Romney has faced mounting pressure to do so, particularly from Gingrich.

“I commend him for it,” Gingrich said on NBC's "Meet the Press." “As far as I’m concerned that particular issue is now set to side.”

Watch Gingrich's "State of the Union" interview below, via CNN: