Updated: On Tuesday with reaction by Jim Talent and Tom Schweich.

WASHINGTON • Newt Gingrich is known for unconventional thinking, and his decision to skip Missouri's Feb. 7 is viewed in some quarters as unconventional politics.

A month before the primary season's opening contest in Iowa, he leads other GOP presidential hopefuls in Iowa in the latest Des Moines Register poll. Given that status, it would seem that winning his party's nomination isn't totally out of the question.

If the former House Speaker from Georgia (he's lived in Washington for many years) succeeds in becoming his party's standard-bearer, he presumably would want to be on good terms with GOP voters everywhere, including those in the bellwether state of Missouri.

On the other hand, Missouri's delegates for the GOP nominating convention in Tampa won't be chosen on Feb. 7 but in a caucus process that begins later.

Whatever his reason, when the filing deadline for Missouri's primary ended last month, Gingrich was the only major Republican aspirant not accounted for.

In other words, when Missouri Republicans vote in the presidential preference primary, they won't see Gingrich's name on the ballot that day even if his picture is on the cover of Time Magazine that week for his stunning early season successes.

Since the deadline closed, there's been various reasons advanced as to why no Gingrich. Was it a mistake by his lean operation? An effort to save money, as a Gingrich spokesman suggested? (Filing would have required a $1,000 payment to the state GOP.)

Is it possible that Gingrich doesn't care much about folks in the Show Me State?

At a news conference in New York this afternoon, Gingrich brought up Missouri when asked if his barebones campaign has what it takes to run long and far.

He responded to the question by portraying his campaign as cutting edge, one that spurns consultants and other methods and strategies of typical White House seekers.

"There's been much confusion about what we are doing in Missouri, which was not a mistake," he offered, noting that he hasn't participated in what he called "beauty contests."

"The Missouri primary doesn't have any delegates attached to it," Gingrich added. "And so this was a conscious decision; this was not an oversight."

He made his comments about skipping Missouri after promising to run a 50-state campaign if nominated.

"We will literally have an opportunity to have a dialogue in every state in the country," he said.

Two of Mitt Romney's influential Missouri supporters − former Sen. Jim Talent and state Auditor Tom Schweich -- didn't buy Gingrich's explanation and issued a statement about it.

"Speaker Gingrich's claim that the Missouri primary is not important is disrespectful to Missouri voters and it suggests a lack of campaign organization. It is a mistake to ignore the Missouri primary as caucus-goers and delegates will be influenced by the results of the primary. Gov. Romney recognizes that Missouri is an important state not only in the primary, but also in the general election," their statement read.