Ken Vogel has a must-read on an impressive $6.4 million Newt Gingrich raised through his American Solutions group in the second half of 2009 alone.
It's a number far surpassing other potential 2012 candidates who've released their fundraising numbers (here, here, here, and here).
The caveat is that Newt's group is a 527 and can therefore accept unlimited donations from corporations and individuals, and in fact, it did.
But as Vogel notes, that doesn't mean his take is easily dismissed:
.... both types of groups [PACS and 527s] can be used to pay for staff, consulting, polling, fundraising, office space and travel, all things that can help ambitious politicians lay the groundwork for presidential campaigns.
As an aside, here's a slightly less objective metric for Newt's reach.
Simply Google the word "Newt" and you'll find Newt.Org precedes "Newt--Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". It might not be surprising because "newt populations have fallen across the world", while Newt's solutions seem to be rapidly expanding.
