Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is preparing to announce in a matter of days whether he will form an exploratory committee for a presidential campaign.

Earlier this month, Gingrich told Fox News that he would decide about a White House run by early March.

A Gingrich adviser told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday that the former Georgia congressman would announce the formation of an exploratory committee in his home state within ten days, and the Associated Press reported that Gingrich would take "a formal step" toward a step toward a presidential run within two weeks.

Gingrich has for months been making frequent visits to early voting states, and Republican officials in Iowa said that the former speaker has been second only to former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the extent of his behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the first caucus state.

During a trip last week to Florida, Gingrich publicly affirmed his support for the current early voting state structure.

"I think it is very important to recognize that Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina hold the first three slots and I think that is the right thing to do because of their size," Gingrich said before adding that Florida would have to negotiate with the RNC if it wanted to go fourth.

Gingrich aides would not confirm that he was set to announce his candidacy but pointed to his previous comments about the timing of an announcement, which they indicated was still on track.

Gingrich appears poised to become the second prospective Republican candidate to announce an exploratory committee after former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain did so in January.

With his long record of government service and reputation for having a vigorous intellect and penchant for finding controversy, Gingrich carries with him perhaps the more obvious strengths and weaknesses of anyone in the prospective field of candidates.

Advisors to Gingrich have indicated that the former speaker would direct his campaign strategy to try to attract support from a broad coalition of Republican voters in a prospective field that is likely to be crowded with candidates hailing from various wings of the party.

In a Gallup poll of Republicans and Republican leaning independents released last week, Gingrich stood in fourth place among prospective GOP candidates with 9 percent of the vote.

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