Newt Gingrich the focus of fresh Democratic attacks

There's a new target in town.

After months of Democratic rhetoric and attack ads focused on Mitt Romney, top party officials are talking about Newt Gingrich, a clear sign of the former House Speaker's ascent in the 2012 presidential race.

White House adviser David Axelrod, Vice President Joe Biden and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi all took digs at Gingrich in the past several days.

Axelrod had an attack on reserve Monday when asked to comment on Gingrich during a interview on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." "Newt Gingrich is really the godfather of gridlock," Axelrod said after taking a swipe at former Massachusetts Gov. Romney. "[Gingrich] was the one who really created an environment in which people started treating each other as enemies and not as opponents here in Washington."

You can watch those comments below via CNN:

On Sunday Biden found a way to work in a dig about Gingrich during a conversation with visiting Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I don't want to sound like Newt Gingrich," Biden said, according to the Wall Street Journal, after commenting on how long he's known Erdogan. "I don't want to sound like I'm inflating my importance or relationship with him."

And the top House Democrat, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, late last week suggested she's relishing the opportunity to take Gingrich down--and has a complete dossier on hand.

"One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich," Pelosi told Talking Points Memo in an interview published Monday. "I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

A third major poll of Iowa voters released Tuesday showed Gingrich significantly leading the key first-in-the-nation caucus state. Gingrich received 33 percent support from likely Republican caucus-goers, according to results from a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. Romney and Texas Rep. Ron Paul tied for second place in the poll each with 18 percent.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• What question would you ask the candidates about health care? We may include your question in the debate.

• Share your pictures of what the Republican candidates need to see in Iowa

• Meet the jobless in Iowa: A third of the state's unemployed have been looking for work for six months or more

Want more of our best political stories? Visit The Ticket or connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.