Newt Gingrich’s assertion that he’s running a positive campaign has gotten a little shaky lately. On Tuesday he tried to refocus his message with an e-mail to supporters and surrogates urging them to refrain from any attacks on his rivals.
“It is critical the Republican nominee emerge from this primary campaign un-bloodied, so that he or she can make the case against President Obama from a position of strength,” Gingrich wrote in the message.
He added: “We will run a positive campaign focused on our country’s future. We will not be running any negative advertising. With Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment in mind, we will ask our supporters not to contribute to any so-called SuperPAC that runs negative ads against any other Republican contender and we will discourage ad hominem attacks on our fellow Republicans.”
That line about Super PACs appears to be a veiled shot at pro-Romney group Restore Our Future, which is spending $3.1 million on ads in Iowa and working on tough anti-Gingrich spots.
Newt wrote that he is “instructing all members of my campaign staff and respectfully urge anyone acting as a surrogate for our campaign to avoid initiating attacks on other Republican candidates. It is my hope that my Republican opponents will join me in this commitment.”
Gingrich has made this emphasis on the 11th Commandment a crucial part of his brand in recent months and the campaign is hoping it insulates him from what is already turning into a brutal string of attacks from the Romney camp. But Gingrich, who has a history of scathing rhetoric aimed at his political rivals, has struggled at times to keep the upbeat tone going — on Monday, he accused Romney of amassing a fortune by “laying off employees,” one of the toughest attacks on the former Massachusetts governor by any of the candidates thus far.
The full e-mail is below:
December 13, 2011
Dear supporters and staff,
Since I announced my candidacy for President of the United States, I have made it clear that I intended to run a positive, solutions-based campaign. There is not doubt, these are difficult times for our country. The American people deserve a respectful and constructive campaign that focuses on a vision for rebuilding the country we love.
It is critical the Republican nominee emerge from this primary campaign un-bloodied, so that he or she can make the case against President Obama from a position of strength.
For these reasons I have refrained from launching attacks on my Republican opponents, though I have reserved the right to respond when my record has been distorted. On Monday this occurred when Governor Romney and I engaged in what in diplomatic circles is called “a frank exchange” over our respective records in the private sector. That same day, however, Mr. Romney announced, “I’m not going to say outrageous things that can be used to hang [a GOP opponent] down the road.” I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. So let us hope that from this point forward we can devote our energies to real issues, such as discussing our plans for our nation’s economic recovery and helping to create millions of new jobs for the American people.
I also want to reiterate to each of you what I have said from the beginning of our campaign, and most recently last Saturday in Iowa: We will run a positive campaign focused on our country’s future. We will not be running any negative advertising. With Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment in mind, we will ask our supporters not to contribute to any so-called SuperPAC that runs negative ads against any other Republican contender and we will discourage ad hominem attacks on our fellow Republicans.
Therefore, I am instructing all members of my campaign staff and respectfully urge anyone acting as a surrogate for our campaign to avoid initiating attacks on other Republican candidates. It is my hope that my Republican opponents will join me in this commitment.
Running a positive solutions-based campaign is the only way to guarantee President Obama is not reelected.
Thank you as always for your support and enthusiasm.
Sincerely,
Newt Gingrich
