After Primary Losses, Legacies of Debt and Strained Reputations FROM CLOUT TO A CASUALTY Newt Gingrich, who began the race well financed and with name recognition, dropped out on Wednesday, scorned by many in his party for his attacks on Mitt Romney, and with a campaign debt of $4.3 million. When the Republican primary season began last year, some of the candidates seemed like such long shots that they could have been running simply to enhance their résumés. After all, the exposure through nationally televised debates could increase name recognition, pave the way to lucrative speaking fees and book advances or help with a re-election bid. But as Mitt Romney has emerged as the party's presumptive nominee, most of his erstwhile rivals have ended up in debt. And rather than leave the race with their political reputations burnished, some have left with their reputations diminished. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House who dropped out of the race on Wednesday, is a stark example of how the dream of being president - or at least a candidate with benefits - can be dashed. He began the race as a self-described historian, with the clout to pull in millions in consulting fees. But as he dragged out his campaign after winning only two states, he was scorned by many in his own party. He had criticized Mr. Romney so pointedly ("Are you calling Mitt Romney a liar?" "Yes.") that the Obama campaign has produced an entire Gingrich-based anti-Romney video that could make any eventual Gingrich endorsement of Mr. Romney look like a joke. As of last month, Mr. Gingrich had a campaign debt of $4.3 million. And his consulting company has filed for bankruptcy, a casualty of Mr. Gingrich's absence while he ran for president. "The reality is, the risks are very high," said Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. I would think as many careers are sunk than launched. (Although Mr. Huckabee lost the nominating contest, he was signed by Fox News as a commentator after he dropped out. Since then he has published a best-selling book and now hosts a weekend television program and a nationally syndicated radio show.) Of the six main candidates who began the 2012 Republican race in Iowa with Mr. Romney, only Representative Ron Paul of Texas is still running. His reputation with his die-hard supporters remains intact and he has no debt, but he has not won any states or expanded his following. Only Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania who dropped out last month, appears to have emerged with a brighter future than when he began. Mr. Santorum is scheduled to sit down with Mr. Romney this week to discuss his role in the general election, with the understanding that he will endorse Mr. Romney, but not right away. Having won almost a dozen states, and as the perceived favored candidate for conservatives the next time around, Mr. Santorum may carry some clout with Mr. Romney, but Mr. Santorum also has to focus on his own needs, like retiring his debt, which as of last month was $1.9 million. These debts are not easy to pay off, especially for those who have lost. "It's not atypical for candidates to retain their debt for years or even decades," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which keeps track of money in politics. It can be an albatross around their necks for a long time. Perhaps the most famous case of lingering financial obligations was that of former Senator John Glenn of Ohio, who built a $3 million debt in 1984 when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. He carried that debt for 20 years before the Federal Election Commission finally gave him a reprieve. But Mr. Glenn had an advantage that other losing candidates do not always enjoy: as an astronaut, he had a reputation as a hero. "The process chews people up," said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University. "But these are people who are not risk-averse," he said. There's no tenure in politics, there's no safety net and you have to make your case time and time again. But certain personalities are drawn to that, and they don't let things set them back.