GOLDEN — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said today that what the country needs is “a very big change,” and he — not front-runner Mitt Romney — is the candidate to deliver it.

“Gov. Romney doesn’t represent profound change,” Gingrich told the crowd of about 200 at the Marriott Denver West in Golden. “He’s not a bad person, per se, but he’s not a person who goes in there with force and will and fundamentally changes things, and we’re in a situation when we need fundamental change.”

Gingrich, joined by his wife Callista, is making his first stops in Colorado in advance of tomorrow’s GOP caucus. He will speak at 2 p.m. at the Colorado Energy Summit at Colorado School of Mines before heading to Minnesota, which also holds its caucus tomorrow. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is scheduled to speak at the summit at 3 p.m.

In a preview of his afternoon speech, Gingrich said he plans to stress the need for an “American energy strategy to maximize American energy.” The goal, he said to huge applause, is that “never again shall an American president bow to a Saudi king.” If elected, one of his first acts will be to approve the Keystone pipeline, he said.

Gingrich also criticized Obama’s social policies, calling him the “food stamp president” and saying that if he’s elected, he will convert the “safety net” to a “springboard.”

“If you prefer a paycheck to a food stamps, join us,” Gingrich said.

Marlene Pettit, 70, of Littleton, showed up in a “Newt 2012” T-shirt with a Gingrich button, an American flag scarf around her neck and a copy of Gingrich’s Contract With America — which she carries with her at all times — in her purse. She believes Gingrich would be the best candidate to beat Obama because he has a proven track record and would be “ready to go on the first day.”

“And I’d love to see him debate Obama,” Pettit added. “Love to see it.”

Sara Burnett: 303-954-1661 or sburnett@denverpost.com

