Gingrich raises $10 million in end 2011, $5 million in January

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich greets people at Fred's Southern Kitchen in Plant City, Florida January 31, 2012.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich raised about $10 million in the last three months of 2011 and $5 million in January, his spokesman said on Tuesday, giving him the financial footing to stay in the race even if he loses Florida.

Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said via Twitter that more than 150,000 people had donated money to the Gingrich campaign, with 90,000 of them coming in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Small donors had contributed to the campaign 200,000 times.

The $10 million in donations in the fourth quarter would bring the 2011 total for the Gingrich campaign to about $12.9 million.

Candidates must submit their fundraising totals to the Federal Election Commission by midnight on Tuesday.

The former speaker of the House of Representatives won the South Carolina primary on January 21, trouncing rival Mitt Romney.

But Gingrich has lost his lead in Florida, which polls show the former Massachusetts governor will win handily later on Tuesday. Gingrich has said he will stay in the race regardless of the Florida outcome.

In South Carolina Gingrich revealed an endorsement from Texas Governor Rick Perry, who threw his support behind the former Georgia lawmaker when dropping out of the Republican race.

In his FEC filing, Perry disclosed raising $2.88 million in the fourth quarter, predominantly from big donors. Poor debate performances dented his support.

Over the course of 2011, his campaign raised $19.8 million and spent $16 million, according to the FEC disclosure, and has nearly $94,000 in debt.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny, Alina Selyukh and Alexander Cohen; Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)