Rick Santorum packed a turbulent rally in Tacoma Monday. Ron Paul will speak Thursday in Vancouver and SeaTac. And Mitt Romney plans a Seattle event Mar. 1.

That makes three out of the four remaining Republican presidential candidates signaling some focus on Washington state ahead of the Mar. 3 GOP caucuses.

So where is Newt Gingrich?

The former House Speaker has not yet announced a visit, but his campaign is finally showing some signs of life.

To head up its Washington caucus-organizing effort, the Gingrich campaign has hired Lew Moore, the former chief of staff to the late Congressman Jack Metcalf.

Moore was the national campaign manager for Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign. He said his switch to Gingrich this year is no knock on Paul.

"I still think very highly of Dr. Paul," Moore said. "But I feel like the speaker [Gingrich] provides the opportunity for transformational leadership. I think he can win and I want to help him out."

Gingrich's campaign has struggled nationally in recent days, with Santorum rising in popularity among conservatives.

Moore acknowledged the difficulties but noted the GOP race has been so unpredictable it's been hard to know what it will look like week to week.

As for Gingrich's late start in Washington state, Moore said "we're on it" and that the Gingrich campaign will be bringing on more paid staff and announcing other plans soon.