“I would bet you $10, not $10,000, that he won’t take the offer,’’ Gingrich added. The challenge echoed Saturday night’s debate, where Romney proposed a $10,000 bet with Governor Rick Perry of Texas.
Asked about the significance of Romney’s $10,000 wager proposal, which critics have used to paint him as wealthy, Gingrich said, “I was startled because I know Rick Perry pretty well. I couldn’t imagine he could cover that. He’s been a public servant his whole career.’’
Yesterday’s exchange came just four weeks from primary day, with the race tightening after nearly a year when Romney faced no serious threat. Gingrich, who by one poll has climbed to within 9 points of Romney, came yesterday to New Hampshire for the first time in weeks.
“I’m now, by a big margin, the front-runner,’’ Gingrich said in Londonderry, citing two new polls that show him ahead in Florida and South Carolina. “I’m behind a little bit here, so I need your help to finish off here. It will be quite a race between now and January 10.’’
Romney, for his part, ceded front-runner status nationally to Gingrich in an interview with the website Politico.
Even while Gingrich has become a focus for Romney advisers, there are also signs that they are concerned with Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah, who has spent weeks holding events in New Hampshire. Romney’s campaign has sent a tracker to videotape Huntsman’s events. Huntsman usually plays along, making note of the tracker to the audience.
“We always knew it would get close at some point,’’ said Jim Merrill, Romney’s New Hampshire adviser. “You feel it. You feel the energy right now; we’re a month out, and it’s time for contrasts.’’
Those contrasts came sharply yesterday.
In addition to criticizing Gingrich for the Freddie Mac fees, Romney sent an e-mail to the media calling Gingrich an “unreliable leader’’ and criticizing his former support for action on climate change.
