Now that Mitt Romney has basically sealed the Republican nomination, you'd think the other candidates might concede defeat and offer their support. And indeed, Newt Gingrich is open about the fact that he's not going to be the Republican candidate — but that doesn't mean he's going to stop campaigning.

Perhaps most strangely, his events are still well attended. The Newt fans who come to see him aren't hoping for a miraculous victory, but they do like hearing what he has to say. Others hope Gingrich's conservative agenda will influence eventual candidate Mitt Romney. Just ask Sussex County Republican spokesman Duke Brooks, who says he will vote for Gingrich in the primary.

Even if we still can't get the nomination, we roll into the [Republican National Convention] in Tampa with a brokered convention in the offing. And if we do that, in the long run I think that can only be good for the party because it's going to flesh out a lot of ideas, and a lot of people are going to pay attention to it.

Diehard Newt fans will follow him wherever he goes — much like Ron Paul fans loyal to a candidate who has yet to win a single state — but many have said they will support whichever candidate (Mitt Romney) gets the nomination. As one attendee put it, "If Newt speaks, they will come." And yes, this process is about as interminable as most Kevin Costner movies.

[Image via AP]