On WESH, the first ad of the bunch was a clip from the NBC network evening news in 1997, set to spooky music, reporting how Gingrich had suffered the "judgment of his peers" in the U.S. House, who found him guilty of ethics violations. The 30-second spot came from the Romney campaign.
Following it were pitches for Cirque du Soleil, the Huntington Learning Center, and the station's newscasts, and then came another flaying of Gingrich - a 60-second spot sponsored by Restore Our Future, a "super PAC" that supports the former Massachusetts governor.
"Know what makes Barack Obama happy? Newt Gingrich's baggage," a female announcer said as three cartoon suitcases smack down on an airport luggage carousel. Hundred-dollar bills fly out of one of them, as the ad details Gingrich's $1.6 million contract as a consultant to mortgage giant Freddie Mac, which conservatives blame in part for the housing market collapse.
Romney was leading Gingrich among likely GOP primary voters 43 percent to 29 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, and 42 percent to 27 percent in a separate poll conducted by Marist University and NBC News.
After winning the South Carolina primary Jan. 21, Gingrich had the momentum and was leading in many Florida polls, seen as the aggressive conservative who could confront President Obama in the way the fired-up GOP base wants.
But Florida is a huge state with a more diverse Republican primary electorate than South Carolina, and campaigning here is expensive because of the need to buy time in 10 separate media markets. Romney performed strongly in two debates and continued an unrelenting assault on Gingrich's record and character.
