Newt Gingrich's Team Opens Fire on Mitt Romney

The camp behind former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich served notice that they intend to attack former Gov. Mitt Romney in South Carolina, releasing ads inthe Palmetto State critical of the former Massachusetts governor. Romney won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday while Gingrich is battling former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania for fourth.

Michael Krull, Gingrichs campaign manager, sent out a message to supporters on Tuesday night as the results came in.

Tonight kicks off a critical time where conservatives must unite behind a single candidate or be stuck with a timid Massachusetts moderate who will struggle to draw a sharp distinction with President Obama on key issues like health care, taxes and life, Krull wrote. Governor Mitt Romney has been running in New Hampshire for nearly six years, and the media is certain to overplay the results no matter the outcome. But this much is certain: It is time for a true Reagan conservative to rise to the occasion and become the Republican standard bearer. That conservative is Newt Gingrich.

We have between now and South Carolina to make our case to the voters that Newt Gingrich is not only the candidate who can beat Mitt Romney for the nomination, he's the candidate who can defeat Barack Obama in November, Krull added.