Mitt Romney crushing in South Carolina spending

???initialComments:true! pubdate:01/20/2012 12:11 EST! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:2/3/12 12:11 EST! currentDate:1/20/12 1:0 EST! allowComments:true! displayComments:true!Posted by Rachel Weiner at 12:11 PM ET, 01/20/2012

If former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney loses South Carolina Saturday night, it will be a very expensive loss.

From Jan. 16 through the Saturday primary, he and his super PAC supporters have spent more than any two of his rivals combined, according to a Republican media buyer.

In Iowa, a deluge of ads from the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future buried former House speaker Newt Gingrich. In the Palmetto State, Gingrich is fighting back, thanks to a huge boost from his own super PAC supporters.

Romney also has more rivals to contend with in the south. In Iowa he was focused almost exclusively on Gingrich; now former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum has emerged as a serious rival and another big ad spender.

SOUTH CAROLINA AD SPENDING, Jan. 16 to Jan 21:

* Mitt Romney $858,155 + Restore Our Future $1,238,482 + Citizens for a Working America $202,642 = $2,299,279

* Newt Gingrich $337,763 + Winning Our Future $856,220 = $1,193,983

* Rick Santorum $667,810 + Red White and Blue Fund $406,447 = $1,074,257

* Ron Paul $984,538 + Santa Rita PAC $150,992 = $1,135,530

* Rick Perry $102,450 + Make Us Great Again $97,851 = $200,301

Total: $5,903,350

Marc Fisher 

Philip Rucker; Dan Balz; William Branigin 

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Associated Press 

Al Kamen 

David A. Fahrenthold 

Dan Eggen 

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David A. Fahrenthold; Debbi Wilgoren 

Jon Cohen; Dan Balz 

Philip Rucker; Rosalind S. Helderman 

Dan Balz; Chris Cillizza 

Peter Wallsten 

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