Correction: This post was based on initial reports on Twitter about the donation from Adelson. Later reporting clarified the new donation to the Gingrich super PAC came from Adelson’s wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, rather than Sheldon.
Question: Will Newt Gingrich have the resources he needs to keep sticking it to Mitt Romney on the airwaves in Florida the way he did in South Carolina?
Answer: Yes.
Gingrich pal and wealthy businessman Sheldon Adelson will offer up another $5 million in funding for Gingrich’s super PAC, Winning Our Future. (Here’s a backgrounder on the relationship between Adelson and Gingrich.) The group was behind the ad blitz Gingrich allies used to scorch the earth in the Palmetto state, bringing down Romney’s numbers and leaving room for Gingrich to take him out using the one-two punch of a pair of well-watched debates.
Hours before the first debate in homestretch to Florida — and as polls show Romney’s once-huge lead in the Sunshine State collapsing — Adelson announced he’s opening the cash floodgates again, showing he’s ready to back Gingrich all the way through at least the next contest.
It’s worth noting here that Gingrich is far less in need of Adelson’s help than he was the last time Adelson wrote a big check for him. Before South Carolina, Gingrich was listing from a big loss in Iowa and a fifth place finish in New Hampshire. Now he’s coming off a landslide win in South Carolina and pulling in big bucks because of it.
It’s also worth noting that Florida is a lot more expensive, media-wise, than South Carolina, so $5 million doesn’t go as far there as it would in a smaller state. But with Gingrich’s fundraising surging and with his super PAC now well-funded, $5 million will likely make an impact.
The Romney campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TPM on Adelson’s new donation, but suffice to say they’d rather he sat this one out. Gingrich has shown that his message (and his super PAC’s negative ads) can have a big impact on Romney. If Gingrich beats him in Florida next week, Adelson will probably deserve some of the credit.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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