Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, slammed his chief Republican opponent on Sunday, saying ads put out by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are akin to “carpet-bombing.”
“I don’t know how you debate a person with civility if they’re prepared to say things that are just plain factually false,” said Mr. Gingrich during appearances on Sunday talk shows. “I think the Republican establishment believes it’s OK to say and do virtually anything to stop a genuine insurgency from winning because they are very afraid of losing control of the old order.”
Mr. Romney, who holds a significant advantage over Mr. Gingrich when it comes to fundraising, has spent millions of dollars over the past several weeks, airing various ads aimed at discrediting Mr. Gingrich. Just this week, a controversial ad put out by the Romney campaign was eventually pulled from airwaves, due in part to the fact that it used footage from NBC News without permission.
Asked Sunday whether he can compete with Mr. Romney’s extensive campaign coffers, Mr. Gingrich said that massive ad buys were the only thing keeps Mr. Romney ahead in the polls.
“It’s only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all,” said Mr. Gingrich.
Mr. Gingrich’s latest criticism of Mr. Romney comes as polls show Mr. Romney gaining traction in the state of Florida. A pair of polls released over the weekend show Mr. Romney leading Mr. Gingrich by the widest margin yet, possibly an indication that the massive ad buys are having an impact. An NBC/Marist poll shows Mr. Romney with support from 42 percent of likely Florida primary voters and Mr. Gingrich slipping to 27 percent.
Mr. Gingrich is reportedly planning to campaign Sunday in central Florida, while Mr. Romney scheduled rallies in the south. He was also looking ahead to the Nevada caucuses Feb. 4, airing ads in that state and citing the endorsement Sunday of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s largest newspaper.
