by Carl Cameron | March 11, 2012 
 
 Sources close to the Gingrich campaign say preliminary "what-if" conversations are underway that could lead to a Gingrich-Perry ticket being announced prior to the Republican National Convention at the end of August. 
 
 Gingrich insiders hope forming a predetermined ticket with Perry will unite the evangelical, Tea Party and very conservative voters that make up the core of the GOP. 
 
 As discussions got underway, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry released a statement saying, "Gov. Perry thinks Newt Gingrich is the strongest conservative to debate and defeat President Obama and truly overhaul Washington. The speculation is humbling but premature." 
 
 Floating Perry as a runningmate two days before Alabama and Mississippi could energize conservatives or turn them off. 
 
 A senior aide to Rick Santorum called it a desperate hail mary to create buzz ahead of contests in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday. 
 
 After learning of the Gingrich-Perry ticket discussions, the Romney camp said it preferred to focus on the Mississippi and Alabama delegate race, noting that they expect to win about a third of the delegates in a three-way split with Santorum and Gingrich. 
 
 Gingrich faces high expectations of his own making in Alabama and Mississippi this coming Tuesday. 
 
 Prior to winning Georgia, which Gingrich said was necessary to remain "credible," Gingrich and his team repeatedly said it would take winning Alabama and Mississippi to restore momentum and fundraising capacity. Newt 2012 is barely in the black. 
 
 Gingrich in recent days shifted gears and began saying regardless of what happens Tuesday in the deep South, he will continue to campaign against his rivals until the convention in Tampa. 

 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left, listens to Texas Gov. Rick Perry answer a question during a Republican presidential candidate debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. / AP Photo/Elise Amendola 
 
 (CBS News) Newt Gingrich's spokesman on Sunday dismissed speculation about a potential Gingrich-Rick Perry ticket being announced before the Republican National Convention in August, saying the two camps have not discussed the idea "at any level." 
 
 A report by Fox News cited "sources close to the Gingrich campaign" saying preliminary conversations about such a ticket have begun with the hopes that pairing the former Speaker of the House and the Texas governor might unite evangelical, tea party and other conservative voters. 
 
 But Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said no one in the campaign has reached out to Perry's camp about a shared ticket. 
 
 "While there's certainly a lot of people who are great admirers of Rick Perry on our campaign. whether or not the campaign has gone as far as to reach out to Governor Perry about a possible VP ticket, any sort of talks along those lines would be premature -- it would be something more appropriate for later on in the process," Hammond told CBS News. 
 
 Catherine Frazier, a spokesman for Perry, also called the speculation "humbling but premature." 
 
 The report came just two days before voters in Mississippi and Alabama head to the polls to vote in primaries that are vital to the continuation of Gingrich's campaign. Perry dropped out of the race in January, throwing his support to the former speaker on the same day. 
 
 Gingrich frequently references his endorsement on the campaign trail, saying expects to win Texas decisively with his help. But since dropping out, Perry has appeared with Gingrich only once on the campaign trail, when he attended a debate last month in Mesa, Ariz. 
 
 Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report.
– Contrary to a Fox News report, there hasn't been talk "at any level" of a Newt Gingrich-Rick Perry ticket for 2012, a Gingrich rep tells CBS News. Fox reported that "sources close" to Gingrich envisioned the two men joining forces to make a strong bid for support from Tea Partiers, evangelicals, and very conservative Republicans. "While there's certainly a lot of people who are great admirers of Rick Perry on our campaign," speculation as to whether "the campaign has gone as far as to reach out to Governor Perry" is premature, says Gingrich rep RC Hammond. A Perry rep offered Fox a similar comment, calling the idea "humbling but premature."