All Newt Gingrich’s exes might move to Texas.

ABC News is reporting that 16 members of former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s senior campaign staff jumped ship because of the candidate’s “distraction from the campaign” and his wife Callista’s grip on the schedule.

It seems the final straw before Thursday’s Newt-iny (sorry, sorry) was Callista refusing to allow her husband to attend a Memorial Day parade in South Carolina, a key primary state, because a film screening couldn’t be organized … oh and because they had tickets to the opera.

The staffers were displeased. They were already pretty grumpy they had to hawk the couple’s book and film projects (*cough* Sarah Palin). They said they didn’t understand why the Gingriches had to be together the night of the opera since it was just days before they sailed away on a two-week luxury cruise.

HOH first reported two weeks ago that the candidate and his wife were spotted in the fifth row of Don Pasquale closing night at the Kennedy Center. 

A tipster tells HOH the Gingrich 16 will be joining Gov. Rick Perry’s (R-Texas) campaign but nothing official has been released. Stay tuned …