Gingrich has publicly acknowledged his “weaknesses” and “failures” during numerous interviews in recent weeks.
And he has also sought to win over evangelical Christians through a non-profit group he first set up two years ago with the declared mission of preserving and promoting “America’s Godly heritage,” according to its initial tax
The Renewing American Leadership group, along with a political affiliate, has raised more than $5 million in the past two years, according to Gingrich’s spokesman.
Among the group’s activities: a 40-day “fast and prayer” campaign last fall that called on candidates for office in the 2010 election to sign a pledge to uphold, among other values, “the sacredness of marriage.”
At the same time, the political arm of the group provided $150,000 to help bankroll a successful campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court judges who had voted to uphold same sex marriage.
Tyler said the funds for the Iowa effort came from a single donor solicited by Gingrich. But he declined to identify who the contributor was, saying that Renewing American Leadership, as a non-profit group, does not identify its donors.
Bob Vander Plaats, a prominent Iowa Republican activist who served as spokesman for campaign to oust the state judges, said the funds from Gingrich’s group were key to the success of that effort.
“There’s no doubt — if we did not have that initial funding there’s no way we could even get started," Vander Plaats said in an interview. "There’s no way you could even get out of the starting gate. So that was crucial resources.”
Renewing American Leadership is only one arm of what is informally known as Newt Inc., a sprawling network of non-profits, businesses and political groups that promote Gingrich's books, videos, speeches and policy positions. The network includes a communications company, a media company and a consulting company that markets Gingrich's advice to health care companies.
But its largest and most visible branch is American Solutions, which has raised over $52 million since it was founded in 2006. That's more money than the political advocacy groups or political action committees of any other potential GOP candidate or member of Congress, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The group has promoted a wide variety of Gingrich's conservative causes, ranging from lower taxes and more domestic oil drilling to opposition to President Obama's health care proposals.
The fundraising success of American Solutions has enabled Gingrich to assemble a mailing list of over a million donors that he can now use for his presidential campaign, according to a source close to Gingrich.
Although substantial sums have also come from corporate interests — including close to $2 million from giant energy companies Peabody Energy, Arch Coal and Devon Energy — Adelson's $7 million in contributions makes him far and away the biggest single donor.
Strong backing of Israel
Sources close to both men say their close relationship dates back to the 1990's, when Gingrich was House speaker. The two bonded in part over Gingrich's strong backing of Israel — a cause about which Adelson, whose wife is Israeli, is passionate.
The casino mogul, a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, owns the largest circulation newspaper in Israel, called Israel Hayom.
Last May, the paper printed an article by Gingrich in which the former GOP House leader criticized the White House's Mideast policies and warned of a “second Holocaust.” A large photo of Gingrich appeared on the cover, accompanied by a headline in Hebrew: “The Obama administration is denying reality.”
When, as most expect, Gingrich announces his candidacy next month, Adelson will be unable to write the kind of seven-figure checks to a presidential campaign that he has been accustomed to sending to American Solutions.
Instead, as Tyler pointed out, he will be limited — like everyone else — to contributions of $2,500 for the Republican primary campaign.
But that is hardly the limit of Adelson's ability to help Gingrich financially, three GOP fundraising sources said, all of whom asked for anonymity.
In recent years, Adelson has become among the most influential of all Republican Party donors, especially among wealthy Jewish contributors who share his views about Israel and the threat of radical Islam, these sources said. Adelson is also the single biggest donor for a group called the Republican Jewish Coalition, which has taken many presidential candidates on trips to Israel and regularly holds its meetings — as it did last week — in one of Adelson's Las Vegas hotels.
When it comes to donating to politicians, “there’s a whole group of people — lawyers, bankers, investors and others — who are prepared to follow Adelson's lead,” said one of the GOP fundraisers.
And that could be just what Gingrich needs to overcome his difficulties, at least so far, in winning over Christian conservatives.
This story includes reporting by Peter Stone of the Center for Public Integrity.
© 2010 msnbc.com Reprints
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