"Meghan" (subscription), started running in this pivotal battleground state Thursday. The spot features Meghan Cofield, a Dayton factor worker who saw her job move to China. The group chides McCain for supporting the North American Free Trade Act, which the SEIU asserts allows companies to receive tax benefits for exporting jobs overseas.

While both candidates have led in Ohio over the last several months, the latest polling data compiled from Pollster.com shows Barack Obama's numbers going up while McCain's trending downward.

"Crist" (subscription), released Thursday, features Florida Gov. Charlie Crist touting his support for McCain. The ad stays positive, showering the Arizona senator with praise for being a reformer dedicated to bipartisanship. "Our next president will face enormous challenges. For me, the choice is clear," Crist says. "John McCain is an American hero."

Crist's endorsement couldn't come at a more crucial time. His state, which has leaned Obama since mid-September, has been the recipient of the most ad dollars by both campaigns and the Republican National Committee. According to a new report [PDF] by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, McCain and the RNC spent almost $1.5 million in the Sunshine State for the week of Oct. 21-28, while Obama doled out a whopping $4.6 million there.

A McCain/RNC radio ad released today in Virginia, "Cuts" (subscription), features Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asserting that McCain will protect Virginia's defense industry from "Obama's liberal colleagues in Congress," who he says plan to "cut defense spending by 25 percent." Virginia, another battleground state that started trending blue in mid-September, is also among the states drawing the most ad dollars, according to the Wisconsin Advertising Project.

In addition to Crist and Warner, even McCain's opponent is unwittingly enlisted for the cause in another new ad. "Obama Praises McCain" (subscription) airs footage of the Illinois senator in January 2007 hailing McCain's "outstanding leadership" on greenhouse gas legislation.

Other recent spots released by the McCain camp and the RNC have followed this pattern. Crist previously starred in another McCain/RNC spot, "Spreading The Wealth" (subscription), as did country music star Hank Williams Jr. (subscription).

"Rearview Mirror" (subscription) brings home Obama's argument on the economy and on McCain's relationship with President Bush. The spot shows a man driving a truck down the road, as an announcer asks: "Wonder where John McCain would take the economy? Look behind you." An image of Bush pops up in the rearview mirror. Signs along the road detail how McCain's policies are a direct continuation of Bush's, according to the Obama camp. Finally, the driver looks back in the mirror to see images of Bush and McCain together, as the announcer repeats the now-familiar tagline: "We can't afford more of the same."

In "Something" (subscription), on the other hand, Obama seeks to inspire viewers to become part of the movement that he has created during the course of his campaign. "Something's happening in America -- in small towns and big cities," the announcer observes as the camera pans across large, diverse crowds of Obama supporters. "People from every walk of life uniting in common purpose." The ad touts some of Obama's biggest endorsements, from Warren Buffett and Colin Powell, before showing a clip of one of his characteristically rousing speeches. "We can choose hope over fear, and unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo," he says to huge applause.

The Illinois senator is releasing his new ads in three states that voted overwhelmingly for Bush in 2004 and should have been safe territory for McCain -- Georgia, North Dakota and McCain's home state of Arizona. New data released by the Wisconsin Ad Project [PDF] shows that, during the week of October 21-28, three-quarters of Obama's and McCain's advertising dollars were spent in red states, demonstrating that McCain is, in fact, playing defense.

MoveOn.org is also purchasing time in Arizona to re-air "Obamacan" (subscription), the spot that won the group's "Obama in 30 Seconds" ad contest back in May. It features Air Force veteran John Weiler, who says that although he's "been a Republican since before I could actually vote," he's supporting Obama this year.

Pollster.com shows McCain up by an average of six points in Arizona, but Democrats clearly feel the race is close enough to warrant spending some resources there.

"How much more political garbage will you take from the Republicans and Democrats?" the ad’s narrator asks. "On November 4, you have a choice: the bailout boys McCain and Obama, or Ralph Nader, the man who for more than 40 years has stood with you against Wall Street crime and Washington corruption."

The 30- and 60-second spots are running in 22 markets in 12 states -- including battlegrounds like Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. But Jason Kafoury, Nader’s national campaign coordinator, insisted that Nader is not trying to run as a spoiler.

The decision on where to run the ads was based on where the campaign has the strongest numbers. Kafoury pointed to a CNN/Time poll [PDF] released today that shows Nader with 3-4 percent support in Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

And Nader is siphoning most of those votes from John McCain, not Barack Obama, Kafoury added.

"Independents that would vote for McCain are breaking towards third-party candidates," Kafoury said.

Nader, 74, has run in four consecutive presidential elections. In 1996 and 2000, he was the Green Party's nominee; in 2004 and this year, he has run as an independent.

Idaho Senate (tip sheet)

• Former Republican Gov. Jim Risch touts his executive record and his plans for turning the economy around in "Jim Risch Just Gets Things Done."

Kentucky Senate (tip sheet)

• In a new ad from Bruce Lunsford (D), a Kentucky man chases down Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) with "Hound Dogs" as the incumbent tries "running away from his record."

• And in "Hillary," Lunsford receives the endorsement of the New York senator.

Maine Senate (tip sheet)

• Republican Susan Collins, seeking to defend her seat, cites statistics to show she's been more effective in Washington than her opponent, Rep. Tom Allen (D), in "Scorecard."

• Allen goes after Collins for standing with Bush on major issues in "Right," while Maine voters discuss why they are switching their vote from Collins this year in "Voting Record."

• Democratic challenger Ronnie Musgrove accuses incumbent Roger Wicker of supporting Bush's economic policies in "Every Way."

New Hampshire Senate (tip sheet)

• "Bridge" contends that GOP Sen. John Sununu's conservative policies have helped New Hampshire more than former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen's liberal leadership.

• The NRSC slams Shaheen's record on spending and taxes in "Way Back."

New Mexico Senate (tip sheet)

• An announcer praises Democrat Tom Udall's work as attorney general and congressman, and promises he'll work for New Mexico's middle class, in "This Election Matters."

• In "Humbled," a wounded vet expresses his gratitude to Udall for supporting brain trauma treatment for veterans.

• With the help of a parrot, Udall ties GOP Rep. Steve Pearce to Bush and the economic crisis in "Get Rid Of This Sign."

• Pearce discusses how his experiences have prepared him to help New Mexico as it is "Facing Challenges" on energy and economic issues.

North Carolina Senate (tip sheet)

• In an ad generating a great deal of national attention, Elizabeth Dole accuses Kay Hagan of accepting money from an atheist group in exchange for an unspecified political "Promise."

South Dakota Senate (tip sheet)

• Democratic incumbent Tim Johnson addresses worries about his recovery from a brain illness, and he and his wife, Barb, thank their supporters for sticking with them through a rough time, in "From The Bottom Of Our Hearts."

Virginia Senate (tip sheet)

• Business and political leaders, along with other Virginia residents, endorse former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner in "Right Leader."

Washington governor (tip sheet)

• Republican challenger Dino Rossi juxtaposes promises by Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) not to raise "Taxes" with headlines reporting a huge budget deficit.

• The Gregoire camp highlights newspaper endorsements the governor received this year that she didn't four years ago, in "Endorsements" and "Eastern Washington."

Our Country Deserves Better PAC is also seizing on the experience mantra in a humorous new ad (subscription) released on national cable and on broadcast TV in several targeted states, including Michigan, on Wednesday. Actors playing world leaders hostile to America, including Kim Jong Il of North Korea, Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, are shown sitting around a conference table under a banner that reads: "The League Of Rogue Nations." The phone rings and is answered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "Obama wants to meet," he tells his colleagues. "No preconditions!" Castro cheers.

Given the option of choosing the time and place, Ahmadinejad goes on to dismiss the person on the other end of the line. "Tuesday is no good. Thursday we enrich uranium. I mean, we have our bowling league," he says. Insisting that they are busy "all week," he tells the imaginary Obama representative: "We’ll get back to you." An announcer chimes in, concluding that Obama is "no match for America’s enemies."

"We wanted to cut through the clutter of so many political ads with something that was funny and different," said PAC coordinator Joe Wierzbicki, adding that the group is putting at least $150,000 behind the new spot. "We think this will be an effective means by which to remind people that Obama has almost zero foreign policy experience, and has already provoked controversy over remarks he has made in the realms of foreign policy and national defense."

Our Country Deserves Better PAC wrapped up a 15-day "Stop Obama" road trip in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, after hitting battleground states Nevada, Colorado, Michigan and Ohio, among others.