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Gingrich goes after Santorum on labor

MACON, Ga. - Newt Gingrich is about to launch his first paid attack against Rick Santorum in the form of a robo-call that accuses his rival of pandering to labor unions.

Starting Friday, 150,000 calls will be placed in Tennessee and Oklahoma. In the call, a woman's voice accuses Santorum of "[cozying] up to the labor union bosses" by voting against a national "right to work" bill that would have let workers opt out of paying union dues.

Gingrich, who is currently trailing Santorum in the polls in both states, has begun to attack the former senator's record on the trail, pointing to votes he made in support of labor unions while representing Pennsylvania.

"He voted for the unions over FedEx," Gingrich told a crowd in Gainesville on Wednesday night. "I suspect most folks in this state don't know that. But in fact, he was a big labor Republican in Pennsylvania and I suspect when you get to Memphis and you say to people 'Gee, this is a guy who wanted to guarantee that FedEx gave into the unions,' Santorum won't be quite as popular the following morning."

In addition to the robo-calls, the campaign is paying to air a 30-minute program that shows the former House speaker discussing his energy proposals in both states. The 30-minute address, titled "$2.50 per Gallon Gasoline, Energy Independence and Jobs," is also now scheduled to air in Ohio, Washington state and Georgia.

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