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WASHINGTON — A group of key South Carolina conservatives fell in line behind Mitt Romney yesterday, bolstering the former Massachusetts governor’s chances to win the first primary in Dixie.
Three Republicans considered loyal to Sen. Jim DeMint — a key powerbroker in the state with ties to the Tea Party, but who has remained neutral — came out for Romney yesterday.
In a stunning move, one of them, former state chair Barry Wynn, is a member of Rick Perry’s finance team.
Wynn said he was irked by Perry’s attacks on Romney, which included ripping Mitt as a “vulture capitalist.”
“It’s like fingernails on the chalkboard,” Wynn said.
The move toward Romney — who had a sweeping victory in New Hampshire Tuesday — came as prominent national GOPers came to Romney’s aid to push back at withering attacks by Perry and Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich, who is making what many see as a last stand in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary, has slammed Romney for “looting” companies while running venture-capital firm Bain Capital.
“What they’re doing to Mitt right now is totally unfair and bad for the Republican Party . . . What the hell are you doing . . . Newt?” asked former Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Fox News.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, who like Giuliani is backing Romney, told Fox that to go after Romney “on really what is the essence of what we Republicans believe in about [the] economy, I think is a serious mistake and frankly I think it’s the last resort of a very desperate campaign.”
But Gingrich got some support from an unlikely quarter: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
“Here are words you won’t hear from me very often: I agree with Newt Gingrich,” wrote Trumka in an e-mail to supporters.
“As Mr. Gingrich recently pointed out, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney ‘looted’ companies, leaving behind ‘broken families and broken neighborhoods.’ That’s not the kind of capitalism that built America,” Trumka said.
A poll released yesterday by Insider Advantage shows Romney with just a 2-point South Carolina lead over Gingrich, 23-21 percent. Rick Santorum follows with 14, and Ron Paul has 13.
Gingrich’s campaign is keeping up its tough talk, while a pro-Gingrich super-PAC lights up the airwaves by spending more than $3 million on ads.