COLUMBIA, SC — After bringing criticism on himself for attacking Mitt Romney’s business record, but also succeeding in drawing attention to the issue of Romney’s taxes, Newt Gingrich has decided that his work targeting Romney’s past is done, and the former House speaker has moved into the final phase of his South Carolina campaign.
“The conversation about how Romney conducted himself needed to happen,” Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said at a Gingrich event in Aiken, S.C. Tuesday night. “It was not part of the campaign. Nobody else was forcing the issue. Gingrich was probably the only one who was capable of forcing the issue. The issue was forced. Romney is back on his heels. He’s answering these questions — slowly.”
Even though Gingrich remains behind Romney in South Carolina polls, there are signs he is recovering in national surveys. A poll released Wednesday morning by Scott Rasmussen shows Romney ahead nationwide, with 30 percent, but Gingrich just three points back at 27 percent — a virtual tie for first place. (Rick Santorum is in third place, with 15 percent.)
At the Aiken event, sponsored by a coalition of conservative groups, Gingrich delivered a talk that was remarkably similar to speeches he gave when he toured South Carolina in late November, when he was surging in the polls. Then, and on Tuesday night, Gingrich focused on innovative ways to address problems in health care, federal spending, and foreign policy. That similarity in themes is no accident. “If you go back and look at the times the campaign is doing well, and the candidate is doing well, it’s because he is focusing on speaking truth to problems,” Hammond said. “That’s when he’s at his most effective — going back to just being Newt.”
There’s no doubt Gingrich hurt himself with his attacks on Romney’s record with Bain Capital. So far, with a paucity of public information about Romney’s dealings, there’s no way to know whether some of Gingrich’s accusations will turn out to be accurate or not. But Gingrich has also managed to push the issue of Romney’s taxes to a prominent place in the campaign. Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Florence, S.C., Romney said his effective tax rate is “probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything.” That would make Romney’s rate lower than some middle-class taxpayers, because Romney’s income comes from capital gains and most taxpayers’ income comes from regular wages. Although Romney said at the Fox News debate in Myrtle Beach Monday night that he would “probably” release his tax returns in April, there will be increasing pressure for him to do it earlier.
After Romney’s statements, the tax issue, started by Gingrich, took on a life of its own, with Romney facing questions from Democrats, the media, and other campaigns. Even Romney’s allies have had to talk about it. “What I would say to Gov. Romney is, if you have tax returns to put out, you should put them out, and you put them out sooner rather than later,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, perhaps Romney’s most prominent endorser, said Wednesday morning. “It’s always better, in my view, to have complete disclosure, especially when you’re the frontrunner.” (Gingrich has promised to release his own tax returns on Thursday.)
The issue is sure to be part of the final South Carolina debate Thursday night in Charleston. At that debate, Gingrich’s strategists believe — or hope — there will be few questions about Gingrich’s attack on Romney’s tax issue and more about Romney’s tax issue itself.
Meanwhile, Gingrich is redirecting his public talks to the issues that worked for him when he rose to the top of the polls. Of course, a lot has happened since then, and it’s not clear Gingrich can get his old mojo, or even part of his old mojo, back. But Gingrich has gotten good reviews for his performance in Myrtle Beach — at one point, he received a standing ovation, which no one remembers ever happening before — and has now released a new ad featuring highlights of the debate.
For his part, Romney has released two new web ads attacking Gingrich. One, “Undisciplined,” features former Republican Rep. Susan Molinari, who served with Gingrich in the House, attacking him for practicing “leadership by chaos.” (Molinari’s husband, former Republican Rep. Bill Paxon, was one of the leaders of an attempted coup against Gingrich in 1997.) A second ad, “Unreliable Leader,” features former Rep. and Sen. Jim Talent blasting Gingrich for “chaotic decisions,” “erratic behavior,” and “outrageous comments.” “It’s a problem when your own leader is the biggest political problem that you’re dealing with, which is why we removed him as the Speaker,” Talent says.
The new ads, coming at a time when Romney had hoped to transition into a general-election message focusing on himself versus Barack Obama, are a sign that Gingrich’s recent strategy — the attacks on taxes, plus a return to old campaign themes — have taken their toll.
