Click here to watch "Fighting For New Mexico."

The Republican contest to hold onto the seat of retiring New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici still has three weeks to go before the primary vote, but already Reps. Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce have struck a contentious note, with a rash of negative TV ads earlier this month. That tone looks unlikely to change after Wilson began airing an ad this weekend criticizing Pearce for votes to shutter a local Air Force base and cut funding to government labs such as the one at Los Alamos.

"Pearce voted four times to slash lab funding that would have cost New Mexico thousands of jobs and put America's security at risk," the ad (subscription) warns. "Heather Wilson fought for New Mexico every time." Most of the attacks traded by the two campaigns in their paid media have revolved around their respective voting records in Congress.

The ad is Wilson's second of the race. Like her first, it concludes by labeling her a "common-sense conservative" -- setting her up as a more pragmatic, centrist alternative to Pearce, whose advertising has emphasized his ideological purity, calling him the "one conservative running for Senate."

Click here to watch "Believe."

Just six days out from a closely contested Democratic Senate primary vote in Oregon, state House Speaker Jeff Merkley and attorney Steve Novick are taking different approaches with their advertising strategies. While Merkley is fighting back against negative ads from Republican incumbent Gordon Smith and going after Novick with an attack ad, Novick has pledged to stay positive for the remainder of the race.

In Merkley's first TV ad of the month, "Places" (subscription), he highlights his working-class background, claiming that "Gordon Smith and I come from two very different places." An announcer then outlines Merkley's plans to help working-class families who are feeling the pinch from a slow economy.

Merkley was also quick to respond to a negative ad (subscription) released on May 2 by Smith, firing back just two days later with "Kidding" (subscription), which accuses Smith of hypocrisy and of "falsely" attacking Merkley. "Gordon Smith. Who is he kidding?" an announcer asks. Responding to Smith's claim that Merkley violated fundraising rules, the announcer insists that "Merkley enacted the toughest ethics reforms in Oregon's history," whereas it's "Smith who's taken a quarter of a million dollars from Big Oil and voted to give them billions in special tax breaks." Seeking to counter Smith's claim that he is a candidate of change, the ad labels him "just another special-interest senator."

Continue reading "Oregon Dems Duke It Out" »

Click here to watch "Change?"

After several months of sitting back and letting Democrats Steve Novick and Jeff Merkley go after each other, Republican incumbent Gordon Smith has jumped into the fray in the Oregon Senate race, launching attacks on both of his potential Democratic challengers, but saving special censure for Merkley.

Smith made his TV debut with "Get It" (subscription), a positive ad touting his record in the Senate as an "independent." Seated in a wood-paneled office with soothing music playing in the background, Gordon tries to separate himself from the "partisan fighting, gridlock" of the nation's capital. "That's Washington’s answer to your problems, not mine. I get it," he insists. "No matter who our next president is -- him or her -- I'll find common ground for the change we need." The ad closes with the tagline, "Common ground for the common good."

This tone of niceness didn't last long, however. Just days after "Get It" went on the air, Smith released an ad attacking both Merkley and Novick. "Change? " (subscription) challenges the notion that either Democrat will be a "candidate of change." An announcer accuses Merkley of breaking fundraising rules which he helped set and cites an article from the Oregonian calling Novick the "liberal champion of government spending."

Along with attacking his would-be opponents, Smith also attempts to do something in this ad that it may be difficult to pull off -- usurp the "change" label despite having 12 years of Washington experience. Merkley and Novick represent "more of the same when it's time for a change," the announcer concludes.

Continue reading "Smith Lashes Out At Oregon Dems" »

Click here to watch "Obamacan."

MoveOn.org, which has endorsed Barack Obama, announced the winner of its "Obama In 30 Seconds" ad contest on Monday. The liberal group will spend $200,000 airing the winning ad, "Obamacan" (subscription), on national cable stations and on network TV in Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Denver, all expected to be important markets in the general election. MoveOn says it will roll out the ad tomorrow, and that it will run for one week after that.

MoveOn put out the call for average citizens to create a 30-second spot about Obama and submit it for a vote by the organization's members, as well as a panel of 24 celebrity judges -- including actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, musician Moby, director Oliver Stone and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. According to the group, there were over 1,100 entries.

MoveOn spokeswoman Ilyse Hogue said that once the organization began to see a groundswell of support for Obama, they decided to give their members a way to participate directly in the campaign. She added, "We believe ads made by real people appeal to voters across the country as much, if not more than, ads made by paid political consultants."

The winning ad 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. "We need somebody in the White House that is strong," Weiler says, as patriotic music plays and military medals are shown on screen. "We need somebody that’s going to represent the Left and the Right, the Democrat and the Republican -- everybody."

Continue reading "And The Winner Is..." »

Click here to watch "Proven. Tested. Trusted."

As his Democratic opponents continue to challenge each other for their party's nomination, this Republican candidate with years of experience in Washington has begun running general election advertising before officially receiving the nod in order to maintain a presence in the race and define his candidacy before others can.

John McCain? No, Mike Johanns, former secretary of Agriculture, former Nebraska governor and current candidate for Senate in the state's uncrowded Republican field. Both parties hold their primaries on Tuesday, and Johanns is all but assured of the nomination.

Johanns recently released his first ad of the race, a bio spot replete with images of cowboys and hay-bailing that depicts him as the embodiment of "Nebraska values." In "Proven. Tested. Trusted." (subscription), an announcer claims that Johanns "led us out of a post-9/11 recession" as governor and "changed business as usual at the Department of Agriculture."

Johanns' focus on his experience in President Bush's Cabinet -- as well as his unlikely reference to the Sept. 11 attacks -- suggests that he won't try to distance himself from the past eight years of Republican leadership. Rather, the spot heavily emphasizes experience and nostalgia in an election cycle that Johanns' Democratic opponents are both betting will hinge on change.

Continue reading "Johanns Looks Past The Primary" »

Click here to watch "A Better Way."

For weeks now, Oregon voters have been the target of campaign events and political advertisements from both Democratic candidates. In an effort to remind Oregonians that there's another candidate in the race, John McCain will today reach out to the Beaver State with his first TV spot there.

"A Better Way" (subscription) spotlights McCain's determination to alleviate global warming without expansive government programs. Framing climate change as "a national security issue," McCain urges a third way between those who think "high taxes and crippling regulation is the solution" and another side that "denies the problem even exists." Throughout, the ad features images of rising gas prices and natural disasters to underline the urgency of the issue and our "obligation to future generations to take action and fix it," as McCain says.

The McCain camp has so far made a concerted effort to amplify the message of his issue-oriented campaign tours with ads on health care and the economy. "A Better Way" comes as McCain embarks on a campaign swing intended to promote his commitment to the environment and, in the process, further separate himself from the policies of the Bush administration. The spot is an implicit reaction to ads from Democrats and third-party groups that have tried to chip away at McCain's image and portray him as little better than President Bush on the environment.

McCain's advisers have indicated that they hope to put Oregon into play in the general election. By investing in airtime now, he not only competes with ads currently airing from Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, he also attempts to build post-partisan credibility while explicitly assuaging the concerns of conservatives opposed to the "high taxes and crippling regulation" his ad warns against.

Click here to watch "Johnny's Mom."

The winter holiday season brought with it a wave of questionable holiday-themed campaign spots (subscription), and now at least one candidate is doing the same for Mother's Day. John McCain's camp announced today it would run a new spot this Sunday featuring the candidate's mother, Roberta, reminiscing about his birth and upbringing.

Over an unusually cheery soundtrack for a political advertisement, Roberta trades playful banter with her son and says "he'll make a wonderful president." By spotlighting McCain's 96-year-old mother, the campaign hopes to appeal to female voters, who polls show currently favor Barack Obama, while also reminding viewers concerned about his age that his mother is still sharp as she nears her centennial. The buy will be limited to cable channels that cater primarily to female audiences, such as Lifetime, Oxygen and the Hallmark Channel.

In a larger sense, the ad is of a piece with the campaign's strategy of using earned media to blunt the Democrats' fundraising advantage. Assuming the cutesy spot gets picked up on the Internet and cable news channels, the campaign could greatly amplify the reach of what is really a limited buy on a handful of niche channels.

Click here to watch "Say No To Lunsford."

Businessman Greg Fischer fired the first salvo against health care executive Bruce Lunsford late last month, in what has become an increasingly tense race for the Kentucky Democratic Senate nomination.

Fischer's attack ad features actress Dale Carter Cooper making accusations about Lunsford's tenure at a nursing home business, Vencor. "He's the last person in the world I'd want in the Senate," Cooper says of Lunsford, charging that "his business practices are totally unethical." She accuses Lunsford of "evicting elderly people from nursing homes," leaving them "out in the cold" with "no place to go, no person to appeal to." The ad ends with this definitive message appearing on screen: "Say no to Bruce Lunsford."

Continue reading "Kentucky Ad Derby" »

Even before the Indiana and North Carolina results were in, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were looking ahead to the five states and one territory yet to vote in the protracted nomination contest. Putting his fundraising advantage to work (Clinton announced today that she has lent her campaign $6.4 million over the past month, while Obama continues to report strong numbers), the Illinois senator beat his rival to the airwaves in all six contests, going up with TV spots in West Virginia, Oregon, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Montana by April 26.

West Virginia is the next to vote, on May 13, and Clinton is considered the favorite. But Obama is focusing on economic issues in hopes of attracting some of the blue-collar voters that make up a huge percentage of the state's electorate. A topic that dominated the debate in Indiana is spilling over into West Virginia -- what to do about gas prices. In "Nothing's Changed," a spot that debuted in Pennsylvania, Obama goes after oil companies for gouging customers at the pump and promises to change the system if elected.

Continue reading "Six To Go" »

Click here to watch "Consistent Conservative."

After both faced negative advertising from a third-party group, the two Republican members of Congress vying to replace Sen. Pete Domenici (R) have each released negative ads of their own -- against each other.

Two weeks ago, Rep. Steve Pearce released a TV ad, "Consistent Conservative," claiming the conservative mantle for himself and implying that his primary opponent, Rep. Heather Wilson, is too liberal for New Mexico. "There's only one: only one conservative in the race for Senate," the ad says, crediting Pearce for being "the only New Mexico congressman to oppose a disastrous government-run socialized-medicine scheme" (a reference to the State Children's Health Insurance program, which Wilson supported).

The attacks became more explicit a week later, when Pearce's campaign released a second ad alleging that Wilson missed important votes in order to film negative campaign commercials. "Wilson missed doing the people's work, because she put her political ambition first," an announcer claims. For good measure, the ad's tagline -- "liberal values, liberal votes" -- adds the charge of liberalism to its accusations of congressional truancy.

Continue reading "When New Mexico Reps Attack" »

Just days after expanding her paid media effort into Oregon, Hillary Rodham Clinton is on the air in West Virginia with a slightly tweaked version of a populist economic spot (subscription) that first aired in South Carolina. In "Falling Through," Clinton speaks to voters' sense of economic anxiety, comparing the Bush economy to a trapdoor and promising "to be a president who stands up for all of you."

"Falling Through" joins advertising from Barack Obama already on air in West Virginia, where Democratic voters will head to the polls on May 13. What limited statewide polling is available shows signs that Clinton already enjoys a sizable lead in the Mountain State, but given the proportional allotment of delegates under Democratic Party rules -- not to mention the volatility of the race so far -- it's been in both candidates' interests to invest even in states they could be assumed to safely carry.

Click here to watch "Minute."

Hoosiers and Tar Heels head to the polls today with the same mix of messages voters in other hotly contested primary states received from Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton: positive ads followed by several days of back-and-forth attacks, ending with closing arguments that make only veiled references to the opponent.

Since Friday, Obama has released four new ads in the two states set to vote today, with slightly different versions of some running in Indiana and North Carolina. Three of the four are contrast spots slamming Clinton for negative campaigning, and for supporting John McCain's gas tax holiday proposal.

"Pennies," released Friday, repeats Obama's accusation that Clinton's support for the gas tax holiday represents "political pandering." "It's an election-year gimmick saving Hoosiers just pennies a day," the Indiana version states, citing newspaper articles and data from Americans For Transportation Mobility. "Boost" takes up the same topic, arguing in the North Carolina version that Clinton's strongest surrogate in the state, Gov. Mike Easley, disagrees with the proposal. Referencing a Washington Post article, an announcer also claims that even Clinton's aides "admit it won't do much for you -- but would help her politically." "Here's the choice" as these ads lay it out: "Clinton gimmicks that help big oil, or Barack Obama -- a real energy plan and a $1,000 middle-class tax cut to help families truly pay the bills."

Continue reading "Closing The Case" »

Click here to watch "Determined."

Though her media team is already looking ahead to the upcoming Oregon primary, Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't forgotten Indiana or North Carolina just yet. Since Thursday, her campaign has debuted four TV ads in those two states: an attack ad targeting Barack Obama, a new endorsement spot, an ad on kitchen-table issues in Indiana and a reworked version of an older ad contrasting Clinton's economic plans with those of President Bush.

The campaign's new attack ad running in both states takes issue with Obama's opposition to the proposed suspension of the gas tax, which Clinton says she would fund by diverting subsidies away from oil companies. "What has happened to Barack Obama?" an announcer asks. "He is attacking Hillary's plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn't have one." Reinforcing one of the key elements of Clinton's campaign, the announcer portrays her as more in touch with working people, claiming, "Hillary's the one who gets it."

Continue reading "Endgame In North Carolina & Indiana" »

Click here to watch "Turn."

After being beaten to the airwaves by Barack Obama in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana, Hillary Rodham Clinton has once again followed closely behind her opponent with a new ad buy in Oregon -- her first advertising in the state.

The move has symbolic importance given the ongoing calls for Clinton to concede the nomination to Obama; by investing in Oregon before Indiana or North Carolina have voted, she signals her commitment to fight on in the Beaver State's May 20 primary regardless of the outcome in those two states tomorrow.

"Turn" represents something of a scrapbook of past Clinton advertising, mixing together footage and policy proposals from several previous ads. It's clearly tailored for Oregon Democrats, however, opening with Clinton addressing the state's voters directly and going on to tout her pledges to withdraw troops from Iraq within 60 days and create more green jobs. "It's going to take a fighter to meet these challenges," Clinton concludes, reminding voters once again of the talking point that has become her candidacy's raison d'etre.

Click here to watch "Health Solutions."

While his two Democratic opponents have talked mostly about the struggling economy in their recent paid media, John McCain continues to focus on health care, releasing his second ad on the subject in a week.

"Health Solutions," which debuted across Ohio on Friday, ticks off McCain's health proposals, from allowing importation of prescription drugs to ending "junk lawsuits that tax consumers." Like his previous spot on the subject, "Health Solutions" is heavy on specific policy plans -- a departure from McCain's earlier biographical ads.

The ad opens boldly with the words "President McCain" appearing onscreen with a slow-motion shot of the Arizona senator striding confidently, segueing into an announcer listing McCain's "bold solutions" over a jittery, futuristic-looking background. By playing up his health care plans with phrases like "bold solutions" and "straight talk," the ad injects some energy into what could be a dry laundry list of wonky details.

Continue reading "McCain Tries To Liven Up Health Care Debate" »

Click here to watch "Truth."

A legitimate policy debate has arisen between the two Democratic presidential candidates this week: whether or not to support John McCain's plan for a gas tax holiday this summer. While Hillary Rodham Clinton has jumped on the Straight Talk Express for this particular issue, Barack Obama is the only candidate to reject the proposal, calling it a "Washington gimmick."

Today the Obama camp is out with a new TV ad, a response to Clinton's "Trouble" ad that launched yesterday, in which she jabs Obama for his opposition to her foreclosure freeze and the gas tax plan. Showing footage of a stump speech given by Obama in North Carolina this week, "Truth" suggests that the McCain/Clinton proposal is "typical of how Washington works" and a "short-term quick fix," while he is the candidate who will bring long-term change to the country's oil addiction.

"I'm here to tell you the truth," Obama declares in the ad, airing in Indiana and North Carolina. "We could suspend the gas tax for six months," but individuals would only save about $25, "or half a tank of gas." He proposes "going after oil companies" for "price gouging," while focusing on the larger problem of the nation's overall oil consumption. "That's the real honest answer to how we're going to solve this problem," not political posturing, he says.

Continue reading "Fact Check On Fuel" »

Click here to watch "Candles."

At least John McCain knows what he'll be up against in the general election. With the Democratic candidates otherwise occupied and six months to go before the presidential vote, there are already two ads on the air that use McCain's "100 years" remarks on Iraq to paint him as a standard-bearer for President Bush's policies.

MoveOn.org today announced the launch of "Candles," which uses the image of a birthday cake with a century's worth of burning candles to characterize McCain's plan for Iraq as dangerously open-ended. "One hundred years in Iraq?" an announcer says. "And you thought no one could be worse than George Bush." "Candles" joins a similar spot put out earlier this week by the Democratic National Committee.

MoveOn is running the ad on nationwide cable, as well as in New Mexico and Iowa -- two likely swing states where McCain has already begun airing general election ads. Republicans have protested that Democrats and outside groups are taking McCain's remarks out of context, but they may have to get used to it. The fact that two ads are already deploying the "100 years" charge against him suggests the soundbite -- as well as the picture of McCain embracing Bush that closes MoveOn's ad -- will only continue to haunt the Arizona senator in the coming months.

Click here to watch "America First."

With just six days before voters head to the polls in Indiana and North Carolina, Barack Obama seems to have refocused his campaign efforts within the last 24 hours. From his strong repudiation of Rev. Jeremiah Wright on Tuesday to multiple endorsements Wednesday and the release of four TV spots in the upcoming primary states, the Obama campaign has been busy trying to change the media narrative and get back to his message of change.

Obama is up with two new ads in Indiana today. "Next Door" reminds voters that the senator is from the adjacent state of Illinois and thus, the ad suggests, understands Hoosiers.

"All across Indiana and my home state next door, folks know we desperately need change," Obama says, listing a series of economic challenges facing the country. "But the truth is, to fix these things, we've got to do more than change parties in the White House," he says, suggesting that a vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton would not be a vote for change. Addressing the cynics, Obama acknowledges, "Some people say we can't change Washington." But he ends on an empowering note: "I approve this message to say: On Tuesday, Indiana, you can."

The campaign also launched "Inspiring" (subscription) in the Hoosier State today. The spot, which ran nationally in January, features testimony from one of Obama's professors at Harvard law, a Republican colleague from the Illinois state senate and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and it opens and closes with clips from Obama's address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Continue reading "Red, White And Blue-Collar" »

Click here to watch "Trouble."

Since Super Tuesday, advertising in the Democratic presidential campaign has followed a similar pattern for each contest: start nice, finish nasty. Three new spots from Hillary Rodham Clinton today -- two largely positive and one that contrasts her economic policies with those of Barack Obama -- could be the first sign that the campaign in North Carolina and Indiana will play out that way as well.

Clinton's more assertive new ad, "Trouble," portrays her as the only candidate who can fix a troubled economy. More specifically, it praises her for proposing a freeze on foreclosures and supporting John McCain's plan to suspend the gas tax temporarily. Not surprisingly, McCain receives no credit for the idea; the ad does, however, make sure to mention Obama's opposition to each measure.

If the distinction between "contrast ads" and "attack ads" has any meaning -- with contrast ads highlighting a policy distinction between the candidates and attack ads focusing more critically and personally on their opponent -- "Trouble" would have to be classified as the former. It eschews the confrontational tone of some of Clinton's closing argument ads in Pennsylvania, doesn't dwell on Obama's position and pointedly maintains its upbeat tone and background music throughout. But it's the first ad from either candidate in North Carolina or Indiana to mention the other by name.

Continue reading "Echoes Of Pennsylvania?" »

Click here to watch "Jobs"

Barack Obama is the target of yet another negative ad today, but this one is not coming from Republicans. The American Leadership Project, a 527 group financed almost exclusively by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a union which has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton, announced today that it is spending $700,000 over the next week to run a TV spot in Indiana calling Obama's economic policy into question.

"Jobs" features ominous music and newspaper headlines that criticize the Illinois senator's economic platform. "The Associated Press reported that Obama's plan to clean up financial markets had 'no specifics,' " an announcer says. "And the Washington Post wrote that what Obama would actually do remains 'a mystery in too many areas.' " In fact, the Post article cited in the ad is an op-ed piece by columnist David Ignatius.

The ad attacks a soft spot for the Obama campaign, as he's struggled to win over working-class white voters. To address that, Obama has retooled his stump speech to focus on the economy while campaigning in Indiana, and he has significantly increased his advertising in the state ahead of the May 6 primary.

Continue reading "A Fiscal Focus In Indiana" »

Click here to watch "100."

The furor over a Democratic National Committee ad that uses footage of John McCain's "100 years in Iraq" comment has only grown since the spot hit national cable stations on Monday. Before the ad was even on the air, the Republican National Committee released a statement castigating the ad's claims as "distortions and smears," and the GOP has only stepped up the pressure in the following days.

In "100," the DNC condenses McCain's answer from a January town hall event in which he compared a long-term presence in Iraq to U.S. policies in South Korea. "Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years," begins a questioner in the audience. "Maybe 100," McCain responds. "That'd be fine by me." The spot then shows scenes of chaos in Iraq, suggesting that McCain was referring to 100 more years of war rather than a peaceful U.S. presence. "If all he offers is more of the same, is John McCain the right choice for America's future?" an announcer asks as the ad concludes.

On Monday, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan called on TV stations not to air "100" and accused national Democrats of illegally coordinating their advertising with the party's presidential candidates. Continuing the tit for tat, DNC Chairman Howard Dean defended the ad in a conference call with reporters yesterday, calling McCain "completely out of touch" on the war.

The RNC isn't the only group leveling accusations of illegal coordination between candidates and outside parties. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a petition with the IRS today challenging the nonprofit status of conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch, which is running attack ads in the ongoing La.-06 special election.

Click here to watch "Feeling The Pain."

Just hours after John McCain released an advertisement touting his proposals for improving health care, the Service Employees International Union put out its own spot criticizing his approach. Both ads were timed to coincide with McCain's address on health care today.

The union, which has endorsed Barack Obama, is airing "Feeling The Pain" statewide across Ohio as well as in D.C. In the ad, Ohio health care workers say they doubt McCain will curb rising expenses. "John McCain says he'll lower health care costs, but when it comes to making health care affordable here in Ohio, we'll still be feeling the pain," a succession of women in scrubs remark.

Besides criticizing McCain for, among other things, opposing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, "Feeling The Pain" uses file footage of a campaign rally to link McCain to President Bush. Twice, viewers see a black-and-white clip of Bush hugging McCain and kissing him on the head as an announcer lists the times the presumptive Republican nominee has supported Bush's health care policies.

Continue reading "A Kiss-Off For McCain's Health Care Plan" »

Click here to watch "Unlikely Alliance -- Part 2."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Speaker Newt Gingrich star in the latest "Unlikely Alliance" spot from Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection. A $300 million organizing and advertising effort, the ACP's "We" campaign seeks to translate popular support for action on global warming into bipartisan political will in Washington.

In the group's previous spot, the Rev. Al Sharpton and televangelist Pat Robertson sat side-by-side on a couch on the beach and playfully discussed their grievances with one another, concluding that climate change was something even they could agree upon. The couch reappears in this new ad, with Pelosi and Gingrich seated in front of the Capitol. The two admit that they don't "always see eye-to-eye" but do "agree our country must take action to address climate change." "We need cleaner forms of energy and we need them fast," Pelosi urges, while Gingrich adds, "If enough of us demand action from our leaders, we can spark the innovation we need."

Continue reading "Pelosi And Gingrich Go Green For Gore" »

Click here to watch "Health Care Action."

Iowans still recovering from the frenzy of the presidential caucuses might be surprised to turn on their TVs this week and find the race has already returned.

John McCain's campaign today announced it would begin running a 60-second spot in the Hawkeye State focusing on McCain's health care plan. In "Health Care Action," a sedate McCain proposes solutions to help Americans pay for the rising cost of health care, including a $5,000 tax credit for every family. "There's many, many solutions to this problem," he says. "I think we can address them."

The spot complements McCain's focus on health care this week, echoing his campaign's message of the moment just as his last ad on the economy immediately followed a key address on the economy and his series of bio spots appeared during his biographical publicity tour.

Iowa might not be the most obvious place to run a general election ad, but McCain's advisers have said they're not planning to run a traditional presidential campaign. By airing the spot in Iowa's inexpensive TV markets, the Arizona senator could pick up some discounted national media coverage if cable news networks pick up the story. And by targeting voters in a possible swing state, McCain is establishing himself early in what could be an expanded field of purple states, while also making amends for largely skipping the caucuses there.

Click here to watch "1884."

When the Democratic presidential primary circus comes to town, downballot candidates in most states know they can expect above-average primary turnout and a more engaged electorate. In states like Nebraska, however, which held its Democratic presidential caucuses on February 9 but doesn't have congressional primaries until May 13, there's a greater hurdle involved in getting supporters to the polls. Call it the fervor gap.

Advertising is just one method candidates can use to reach voters, but it's one that can take on an outsized importance when distances are far, voters are few and engagement is low. No surprise then that both Democrats running to replace retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) have purchased ad time in order to introduce themselves to Nebraskans, particularly in Omaha and Lincoln, the state's biggest cities and home to the highest concentrations of registered Democrats.

Tony Raimondo, a businessman making his first bid for public office, launched his first two TV spots this month. The first, "Great Boss," features employees of Raimondo's manufacturing plant in Columbus telling viewers about their boss's background while praising his leadership and business skills. "Tony took over a failing company and built it into a Nebraska success story," they say in the ad. Raimondo goes it alone in his second spot, in which he argues that the war in Iraq is distracting us from domestic priorities and we need to "honorably bring our troops home."

Continue reading "Can TV Close Nebraska's Fervor Gap?" »

Click here to watch "Cost."

So far, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have held off running negative ads against each other in North Carolina and Indiana. Apparently, they prefer to save their attacks for oil companies, which are taking a beating from both sides as gas prices continue their ascent into record territory.

This weekend, Clinton released "Cost" in both states, criticizing oil companies in some of the harshest terms of the campaign and promising tough leadership to help working families at the pump. Among the proposals the ad mentions: "Take some of the windfall profits of Big Oil to pay to suspend the gas tax this summer" (the so-called "gas-tax holiday" was first proposed by John McCain); investigate energy companies for "price gouging and collusion"; and make them "invest in new clean energy sources."

By promising to alleviate high gas prices, the ad presents Clinton as a problem-solver who would make a real difference in people's lives and furthers the message of Clinton's other spots in North Carolina and Indiana, which have focused more on the economy than any other issue. That's not to say Clinton's media team has completely stopped needling the competition. The new spot's closing line -- "With gas this expensive, talk is cheap. We need leadership." -- sounds a lot like her camp's earlier efforts to paint Obama as all talk and no action.

Click here to watch "Health Care."

Barack Obama is becoming a more familiar face for TV viewers in Mississippi and Louisiana, but not by choice; instead, the Illinois senator is the focal point of several new commercials being run by Republican groups ahead of special elections to be held in both states in early May.

Whereas Hillary Rodham Clinton was once considered the Democrat that Republicans would most like to see at the top of the ticket in November, Obama's "bitter" comments and his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright have helped make him more vulnerable to attack from the right. Now Republicans are using Obama's missteps to target downballot candidates.

In Mississippi's First District, Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R) is facing off against Democratic businessman Travis Childers in a runoff to replace Rep. Roger Wicker (R), who moved to the Senate after Trent Lott's resignation. While the seat had been considered safe for the GOP, Childers shocked pundits by coming within 400 votes of capturing it in the first round of voting on April 22. Now, the National Republican Congressional Committee and Davis are going on the offense, launching negative ads that link Childers to Obama, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi.

Continue reading "Obama Targeted In Special Elections" »

Click here to see "The Change."

With years of campaign experience, high name recognition and support from the party establishment, Bruce Lunsford is the favorite to win Kentucky's Democratic Senate primary next month. But in a new TV ad, Lunsford's opponent, Greg Fischer, argues that even if Lunsford were able to defeat incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) this fall, he would bring "no change at all."

Fischer has adopted the change mantle in the race, using a slogan ("Change you can trust") that's very similar to Barack Obama's ("Change we can believe in"). His new TV spot is a fast-paced piece featuring a patchwork of video clips that introduce Fischer as a public servant, not a politician.

Continue reading "Fischer Claims The Change Mantle In Kentucky" »

Click here to watch "Turn It Off."

The national spotlight continues to shine on North Carolina today over a state Republican Party ad highlighting Barack Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But voters in the Tar Heel State haven't been getting just one side of the story; the Obama camp has released several TV ads there ahead of the state's May 6 primary.

"Turn It Off" places Obama in an elementary school classroom, where he talks about the importance of education and parental involvement. "For me the American dream began in a room like this," Obama says, playing up his humble beginnings. "My family didn’t have much money, but education made everything possible."

He goes on to outline "The Obama Plan" for improving education but then moves beyond the typical political message to offer something of a lecture to parents. "The truth is government can’t do it all. As parents we need to turn off the TV, read to our kids, give them that thirst to learn."

Continue reading "Obama Teaches Good Parenting" »

Click here to watch "Pull The Plug."

With just under a month to go before voters head to the polls in the Oregon Senate Democratic primary, attorney Steve Novick refuses to let up in his effort to upset state House Speaker Jeff Merkley.

Merkley has the backing of the Democratic establishment, including Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer, who, as Roll Call points out, has "a proven record of shepherding his preferred candidate to victory."

Hoping to capitalize on his financial advantage, Merkley has increased his TV advertising, releasing a new spot that features his wife, nurse Mary Sorteberg, praising his commitment to fix health care. Dressed in scrubs, Sorteberg describes her husband's decision to run for the Senate as "a calling." "Jeff is passionate about changing this country and fixing health care so everyday people get the care they need," she claims. She hits on the general points of Merkley's health care plan -- "tak[ing] power away from the drug and insurance lobbyists and giv[ing] it back to patients" -- while insisting that he will look to health care professionals when making policy decisions.

Continue reading "Upstart vs. Establishment In Oregon" »

Click here to watch "Appreciate."

With the Pennsylvania primary finally over, the Democratic presidential contest will move on to North Carolina, where another fiercely fought Democratic primary is already under way in the gubernatorial race.

The two Democrats running to replace term-limited Gov. Michael Easley (D) continued their high-spending ad war this week, with Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue keeping her promise to run only positive ads despite a harsh attack spot from Treasurer Richard Moore.

Moore's latest ad charges Perdue with weakening efforts to keep guns out of schools and voting to toughen abortion restrictions. "Is Bev Perdue a Democrat we can trust?" it asks. Perdue's campaign was quick to respond with "From Me," a "positive campaign fact check" disputing Moore's charges, touting Perdue's endorsement by state police and teachers, and reiterating her pledge to avoid negative advertising.

Continue reading "Guns & Griffith In N.C. Gov. Race" »

Click here to watch "Jobs" and "David."

For all the money poured into Pennsylvania in the last two weeks, Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign must have been saving some of its ad budget for the next two contests, in Indiana and North Carolina. Today Clinton released new ads in each state, both notably free of the vitriol that came to dominate Pennsylvania airwaves.

"I think this election, particularly here in Indiana, is about jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs," says Clinton at the start of her newest ad in Indiana. Picking up the economic theme of her two previous Hoosier State ads, "Jobs" hits many familiar Clinton points -- she'll "fix unfair trade deals" and "stop tax breaks" for outsourcing companies -- and ends with an uplifting message about "putting the American people first."

Continue reading "Looking Down The Road" »