Former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said the biggest danger facing the Mitt Romney campaign was the "Ron Paul forces."

Gingrich, in an appearance on Sean Hannity Radio Monday, warned that the Republican National Convention could get out of hand if the Romney campaign didn't come with a clear plan. "I think the biggest danger in the short run is that they not think through how they're going to handle the convention in Tampa, and how they're going to handle the Ron Paul forces," Gingrich said.

Gingrich was at the state convention in Georgia last weekend and said the "Ron Paul people" were out in force. "In the end they lost, but there were a couple of hours when it was pretty raucous," Gingrich said. "As you know, the Ron Paul people won in Minnesota. I think they won in a number of other states. And so they've got a pretty good contingent."

Gingrich said the Romney campaign should think through "not how to pander to them" but how to deal with the Paul delegates positively and give them their "legitimate rights" as delegates. Gingrich said the Romney campaign could then win the nomination and set the tone for the country.

"The next truly big moment in the campaign is going to come in Tampa and thinking through that two weeks - the platform week and the week of the convention - is probably the next big challenge for the Romney people," Gingrich said.