Romney the ‘weakest party front-runner since 1920’

Newt Gingrich says Mitt Romney is the weakest government opposition party front-runner since 1920, but his sizeable campaign fund allows him to run well in races where his rivals don’t have the resources to campaign.

The former House of Representatives speaker said Romney’s money allows him to buy plenty of advertising time that puts him ahead of the pack at first, but his rivals catch up “pretty rapidly” as they campaign.

Gingrich says Romney faces difficulties because the conservative Republican base doesn’t support him.

Gingrich has been campaigning hard in Alabama and Mississippi ahead of tomorrow’s primaries, where he is hoping to add to wins in South Carolina and the state he represented in Congress for 20 years, Georgia.

The primaries in the overwhelmingly conservative Alabama and Mississippi are seen as must-win contests for Gingrich, who is running third in the four-man race. Romney holds a commanding lead; former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum is second while Texas congressman Ron Paul is at the back of the pack.

Polls show a close race in tomorrow’s contests, particularly in Alabama, where Romney, Santorum and Gingrich all added to their television advertising in the closing days.

Gingrich’s campaign is struggling to survive and cannot afford a loss in Mississippi or Alabama, states key to his southern strategy. He has won only two primaries — in the southern states of South Carolina and Georgia.

Romney, with his political roots in north-eastern Massachusetts, will try for a southern breakthrough to show he has the ability to win the support of evangelical Christian and deeply conservative voters.

Santorum hopes to knock Gingrich out of the running, leaving him as Romney’s sole challenger from the right.

Santorum last night said his grassroots campaign has done very well against the better-funded Romney in one-on-one match ups.

A Gingrich aide has said the former House speaker must win both primaries to justify continuing in the campaign. Gingrich suggested otherwise, as polls showed a tight contest in Alabama.

“I think there’s a fair chance we’ll win,” he said. “But I just want to set this to rest once and for all. We’re going to Tampa,” site of the Republican national convention this summer.

Tomorrow’s voting takes place after contests on Saturday, when Santorum crushed Romney in the Kansas caucuses but ceded Wyoming to him.