Click here to watch "Alaska Maverick."

Both presidential nominees released ads Wednesday drawing attention to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, albeit in different ways. John McCain gives props to his running mate in "Alaska Maverick." And a new radio ad from Barack Obama chastises McCain for opposing abortion rights, a topic that has taken on new currency lately -- first when McCain alarmed his base with a remark that he wouldn't rule out an abortion rights supporter as his running mate, and now with McCain’s addition of Palin, a staunch abortion opponent.

McCain's spot heralds Palin's reformer reputation by highlighting media reports from the Wall Street Journal (which dubbed the duo "A Reform Ticket") and her home state's Anchorage Daily News (calling Palin the "Joan of Arc of Alaska politics"), among others. The ad contrasts that with coverage of Obama that suggests he'll always vote along party lines. From the January National Journal survey that ranked him the most liberal senator to a series of Senate votes benefiting Big Oil, the McCain camp reiterates that his change reputation is nothing but "empty words." It’s worth noting, however, that all the headlines applauding Palin are dated after the Aug. 29 VP announcement, suggesting that before she was thrust into the national spotlight, the national media didn’t see compelling reason to highlight her or her "reformer" reputation.

Obama's radio ad features a Planned Parenthood nurse urging women not to vote for McCain because he supports overturning Roe v. Wade. "John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose," the nurse says. "That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are." The spot replays a clip of McCain confirming that he supports a constitutional amendment banning all abortions.

The Obama camp said the ad was released before McCain announced his pick. Nonetheless, with Hillary Rodham Clinton’s supporters potentially in play and with Palin receiving attention as the first woman on a presidential ticket since Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, abortion is making a comeback as a hot-button political topic.