Obama ramps up ad spending in Minnesota

Barack Obama narrowly outspent John McCain on television advertisements during the second week of October, according to figures obtained by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza. Between October 7 and 13, the Democrat spent $675,000, compared to $607,000 for his Republican counterpart. As MnIndy previously reported, in recent weeks Minnesota had been one of the few states where McCain was outspending Obama.

The most recent figures show the Democrat’s campaign spending $32 million on TV spots during the second week of October — nearly three times as much as the GOP effort. Even when spending by the Republican National Committee is taken into consideration, Obama still maintains a two-to-one advantage in advertising purchases. Of the 17 states where the campaigns are focusing their attention, McCain is outspending Obama in only one — Maine — where he hopes to pick off a single electoral vote. The Illinois Senator’s advertising onslaught is unlikely to slacken amid speculation that he may have raised as much as $100 million in September.