Will the New Hampshire Union-Leader Endorsement be a Game-Changer for Gingrich?

Will the endorsement Newt Gingrich received yesterday from the New Hampshire Union-Leader make a real difference there for him, or is Mitt Romney unbeatable in the Granite State?

DAILY CALLER: While Republican strategists say that the New Hampshire Union Leader’s endorsement Sunday of Newt Gingrich goes a long way to projecting the former House Speaker as the preeminent “anti-Romney” candidate in the GOP primary field, some strategists suggest that it won’t give him enough of a boost to overcome former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s formidable lead in the polls.

“It legitimizes Gingrich’s status as the conservative alternative to Romney in a way no other candidate has been able to yet,” Republican political consultant Jim Dyke told TheDC.

“It is a blow to everyone trying to be the anti-Romney,” echoed Dan Hazelwood, a Republican consultant. . . .

But even as the Gingrich campaign trumpeted the significance of the endorsement by blasting out an email Sunday announcing the endorsement had “solidified his hold as the conservative front runner in the 2012 presidential race,” GOP consultants caution that it doesn’t mean Gingrich is destined to win the state.

“It will give him a boost, help with fundraising, maybe help conservative support coalesce behind him, but it probably doesn’t mean much in terms of actual votes,” said one New Hampshire Republican strategist. . . . Read More

As the article says, the endorsement will surely help Gingrich in terms of fundraising, but his chances in New Hampshire probably hinge largely on how he does a week earlier in the Iowa Caucuses, January 3, 2012. If Gingrich can win Iowa, the endorsement enhances the momentum he will have headed into New Hampshire. Romney’s lead could evaporate in a hurry. My guess is that Romney still wins in New Hampshire, but his lead is likely not as strong as it looks like from the numbers.