McCain goes negative as Obama lead grows

John McCain has devoted his entire television budget to negative attacks on Barack Obama to keep his rival from pulling away in the polls, according to a study.

Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) spent just under $17.5 million on TV advertising between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4 while Sen. McCain (Ariz.) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) together spent less than $11 million, according to an analysis by the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project.

{mosads}The study found that nearly 100 percent of McCain’s ads were “negative,” compared to only 34 percent of Obama’s TV spots. So far this election cycle, 73 percent of McCain’s ads and 61 percent of Obama’s ads have been considered negative by the Wisconsin study.

Obama’s recent surge in the polls has coincided with his campaign outspending McCain significantly in battleground states.

In the last few weeks, the race has shifted to areas of the country President Bush won four years ago.

“Ten of the 15 states where both candidates are advertising were won by Bush in the 2004 election,” said Ken Goldstein, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project.

“The campaign is being played on the Republican side of the field this year.”

McCain has ramped up his negative advertising and Obama has eased his attacking tone while polls show the Illinois senator opening up advantages around the country.

Obama leads McCain by 4 percentage points or more in Colorado, Ohio and Virginia, all states Bush carried in 2004, according to an average of recent polling compiled by RealClearPolitics.com, a website that tracks political surveys

Obama has an average lead of three percentage points in Florida and Nevada, two other “red” states.

The battle between McCain and Obama has focused on a handful of Midwestern swing states in recent weeks.

Markets in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin received more than half of the money the two candidates spent on television advertising.

The candidates have spent the most money in Ohio, followed by Pennsylvania.

Obama spent $2.22 million in Ohio and $2.2 million in Pennsylvania between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4. McCain spent $1.7 million in Ohio and $1.6 million in Pennsylvania.

McCain is trying to reverse his erosion in the polls in Colorado and Nevada by spending heavily in those two states.

McCain is also focusing on Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as two “blue” states he could steal from Obama.

Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), the 2004 Democratic nominee, won Wisconsin and Pennsylvania by 2 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

McCain also spent significant money, $1.25 million, in Michigan before he decided to pull resources out of the state last week after his strategists judged it too much of a favorite for Obama.

Obama is making a strong push in a few states that have traditionally voted for Republican presidential candidates. Obama outspent McCain by more than 8 to 1 in North Carolina and more than 3 to 1 in Virginia between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4.

Obama’s campaign sees itself as vulnerable, however, in New Hampshire, a state Kerry won by 1 percentage point in 2004. It outspent McCain’s operation by more than 2 to 1 during the last days of September and first days of October.

Obama has gone on the offensive lately in Florida, a state that few analysts gave him much chance of winning this summer but one that would clinch him the White House if he won.

Obama’s campaign has outspent McCain’s campaign in Florida by more than 3 to 1 in recent days, according to the Wisconsin study.

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