Pro-Gingrich Super PAC Might Be Ray of Hope for Campaign

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Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign is facing drastic budget cuts, but the super PAC supporting him, Winning Our Future, is still going strong, purchasing radio and email advertising time in several upcoming primary states.

The group, largely funded by Las Vegas casino owner Sheldon Adelson, has purchased radio and email ad buys across a slew of states including Wisconsin, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina and, of course, California, to name a few, according to its Federal Election Commission disclosures. They show that the group spent the same amount in each state, $20,662.

Winning Our Future is clearly in a stronger place financially than the Gingrich campaign. Its most recent FEC monthly report showed that Winning Our Future ended the month of February with $2.28 million cash on hand. The group raised $5.7 million for the month, $5.5 million of which came from the Adelson family.

By comparison, the Gingrich campaign raised only $2.6 million in February, and ended the month with $1.5 million cash on hand. The campaign also has $1.5 million in debt.

Depending on fundraising going forward, it is possible Winning Our Future might be able to pick up some of the slack. By continuing to fund items such as advertising, mailers and voter contact, Winning Our Future might help the campaign maintain some viability.

But Winning Our Future cannot simply make up for the campaign's financial shortcomings. By law, a super PAC and the campaign it promotes cannot coordinate with one another, so the super PAC is limited in the extent to which it can help the ailing Gingrich campaign. There are certain costs that even a bare-bones campaign cannot avoid, notes Anthony Corrado, Professor of Government at Colby College.

"You've still got plane tickets, hotel bills, food costs, you might need a couple of staff members" explains Corrado. "The super PAC can't get you an organization, it can't pay your staff, and they can't pay any of your debts."