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So far, at least, no one would accuse Winning Our Future, the pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC, of going easy on Mitt Romney.
Backed by $11 million in contributions from billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Winning Our Future’s television ads have depicted Romney as everything from unreliable on the abortion issue to a modern-day robber baron whose fortune was achieved, in part, through "blood money."
The super PAC’s ads have had mixed success but did play an instrumental role in Gingrich’s resounding victory in South Carolina.
Heading toward another make-or-break month in the Republican nominating calendar, Winning Our Future is currently running a relatively low-cost nationwide radio campaign that features a mix of positive ads and anti-Romney spots, but the group has been off the TV airwaves since the former House speaker’s defeat in Florida three weeks ago.
As Gingrich has faded once again in the polls and risks being left in the dust by Romney and a surging Rick Santorum, Winning Our Future currently lacks the resources to finance another TV ad blitz. Such ad campaigns have played a key role in determining the winners in a GOP primary race marked by unexpected twists and turns.
But another Winning Our Future windfall appears to be on the way, and it could wind up benefiting Gingrich’s chief rival.
CBS News reported Friday that Adelson plans to donate another $10 million to the group and may drop an additional $4 million on top of that, which would raise his donation total so far to $25 million.
As of Sunday night, Winning Our Future officials could not confirm that another cash infusion is on the way, but the group has gotten no advance warning before previous contributions from the Las Vegas titan arrived in its bank account.
A Gingrich confidant told RCP that an additional $10 million from Adelson would “change everything” in that the group could begin airing TV ads in key March voting states where the former congressman has until now been invisible.
Though it may be difficult for Gingrich to catch up in states considered strongholds for Romney and Santorum, new advertising would likely be directed at the Deep South, where he is increasingly banking his candidacy.
Georgia, which he represented in Congress for two decades, votes on Super Tuesday, and Alabama and Mississippi hold their primaries a week later on March 13.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Newt has to do well in the states that behave like South Carolina,” a Gingrich aide told RCP. “He’s got to do well in conservative states.”
Though the publicity-shy Adelson’s line of thinking is a mystery, recent developments suggest that another cash infusion could come with a proviso that might make the ongoing primary chess match even more complex.
Despite the relentless attack ads that Winning Our Future has run against Romney, Adelson reportedly has warm feelings toward the former Massachusetts governor and has vowed privately to support him if he becomes the GOP nominee.
But the Wall Street Journal reported last week that, in contrast, the billionaire donor has concerns about Santorum. Adelson, the report suggested, has considered the potentially positive ramifications for Romney that a new eight-figure donation to Winning Our Future might have: In propping up Gingrich, he could keep Santorum from consolidating the evangelical and Tea Party-aligned vote, especially in the South.
Though the operatives behind the super PAC have demonstrated a deep disdain for Romney, Adelson has the financial leverage to keep the group from running any additional anti-Romney ads with his money. Instead, he could instruct it to either take aim at Santorum or push a positive message.
A Winning Our Future spokesman would not comment on whether the group would agree to such terms, but it is difficult to imagine the super PAC declining another high-dollar check from its primary benefactor over a strategy dispute.
Though polls are mixed on the issue, there is general agreement within Republican ranks that if Gingrich drops out of the race or becomes largely irrelevant, the majority of his support would shift to Santorum.
Thus, if an additional cash influx helps keep Gingrich in the game, Romney is the candidate who might benefit most in the end.
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