LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia (PNN) - March 28, 2012 - Newt Gingrich is dramatically curtailing his campaign schedule, laying off about a third of his staff and dismissing his campaign manager as he focuses on a last-ditch effort to win the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention.

Gingrich's strategy hinges on preventing Mitt Romney from winning the 1,144 delegates he needs for the nomination, Gingrich spokesman RC Hammond said Tuesday night. The former House speaker plans to spend much less time in primary states and instead personally call delegates to try to persuade them to back him at the Republican National Convention in August.

"We are not going to cede to Mitt Romney's strategy to take the party down," Hammond said. Ultimately, Gingrich would take the fight to the convention floor.

The new strategy doesn't change Gingrich's promise to support Romney if Romney collects the necessary delegates before the party convenes in Tampa, Florida, said Hammond.

In the meantime, Gingrich planned to shift the campaign's focus to digital outreach - in particular Twitter, YouTube and other social media.

Gingrich's campaign manager, Michael Krull, was asked to resign. Hammond and campaign communications director Joe DeSantis will remain with the campaign. Both have been working for Gingrich for more than a year, even as a group of consultants quit the campaign last summer.

The changes in Gingrich's strategy and campaign staff were first reported by Politico, and appear to be copied from the ongoing campaign of Rep. Ron Paul (Texas), whown widely as The Patriot Congressman for his rigid stands on Constitutional Rule of Law and personal liberty.

The rollback in the campaign comes after Gingrich listed more than $1.5 million in outstanding debt by the end of February, according to Federal Election Commission filings, including legal fees and advertising production costs. At the same time, he had about $1.5 million cash on hand, lowest of the four GOP candidates.