DCCC targets Gingrich over Sotomayor remarks

Democrats are going after former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) again this week, this time for his remarks about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched an online petition and Google ads days before Gingrich is scheduled to headline the Republican Senate House Fundraising Dinner next Monday.

Last week Gingrich called Sotomayor a racist on his Twitter feed. “Imagine a judicial nominee said ‘my experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman’ new racism is no better than old racism…White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw.”

It is worth noting that Gingrich has since walked back those remarks.

But that isn’t satisfying Democrats. The petition says that Gingrich’s retraction is “too little, too late” and calls on signers to send a message to congressional Republicans to denounce Gingrich’s remarks. (Of course, some Republicans, including NRSC Chairman John Cornyn (Texas), did distance themselves from Gingrich’s statement.)

The Google ads are interesting because it is another example of a newer way to campaign online. The DCCC has paid for a series of Google ads that pop up when you search for the former speaker. I tried it and this appeared:

Outrageous Newt Gingrich
Tell Republicans to Stand Up to
Newt’s Offensive Sotomayor Remarks
www.dccc.org

This is also another example of Democrats seeing an opportunity in targeting Gingrich. Gingrich’s ubiquity, they say, is indicative of the GOP looking backward, not forward.

UPDATE: In another sign that the Democrats view Gingrich as toxic, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) issued a statement pointing out that Republican Senate challenger Rob Simmons will be appearing at a dinner with Gingrich Thursday night.

“Rob Simmons wants to be thought of as a moderate but tonight will be campaigning with the Republican speaker from the 1990’s who just recently made offensive remarks about the current Supreme Court nominee,” said DSCC spokesman Eric Schultz. “Lucky for him, Rob Simmons has the chance tonight to denounce Gingrich for his offensive comments in person and show some independence from the Republican establishment.”

jeremy.jacobs@digital-stage.thehill.com