Washington (CNN) - The super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, Restore Our Future, announced it has bought almost $6 million in new ad time signaling a major escalation in campaign spending. The group is spending almost $2 million this week on ads in eight states and on national cable.
With the ad wars intensifying in Michigan, whose Feb. 28th primary is shaping up to be a major battle, the super PAC has bought an additional $876,000 for commercials there beginning next Tuesday on top of the $640,000 it said it is spending this week in the state.
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Right now the group is airing in the state an ad attacking Rick Santorum as a "Washington Insider" pointing out his votes while in the U.S. Senate to raise the debt ceiling and increase spending. The group will not comment on what ads it will air as part of this future buy.
For its part, the Romney campaign has bought $1.33 million in Michigan ads according to a Republican media consultant. So far it is running a positive ad touting Romney's ties to the state pointing out his father was Governor, how he grew up there and emphasizing his affection to the car industry.
Romney and his allies are outspending Rick Santorum and his backers by about a 3-1 margin in Michigan.
According to the GOP media consultant, Santorum is up with $416,000 in ads which are a combination of positive ones showcasing Santorum as well as a commercial painting the former Pennsylvania Senator as the victim of vicious attacks.
Also helping Santorum in the media wars is the super PAC backing him, the Red, White and Blue Fund, which Thursday started airing $663,000 of spots through next Tuesday. It is airing a positive ad saying Santorum a "principled candidate," "a father, husband, champion of life" and "a proven conservative."
While Michigan is getting the lion's share of attention because Santorum is leading the polls in the state and he is making a major effort there, the Romney super PAC is not ignoring Arizona, which also votes on Feb. 28th. It has bought an additional $356,000 worth of commercials and is airing the anti-Santorum spot there as well. Currently Romney is leading there. Santorum's campaign has said it was planning on running ads there but so far his super PAC has not said it will.
Showcasing its financial muscle, the pro-Romney super PAC has also gone in with $3.92 million in additional commercials in four of the key states voting on March 6th, Super Tuesday: Ohio ($1.6 million); Georgia ($956,000); Tennessee ($915,000) and Oklahoma ($449,000). This week the group said in those four states it is spending over $500,000 for ad time, and it is showing a spot comparing Romney as someone who created thousands of jobs and who rescued the Salt Lake City Olympics to Santorum who it called "the ultimate Washington insider" and who voted to for billions in Washington waste.
The pro Santorum super PAC is expected to make an announcement early next week about commercial buys in Super Tuesday states, according to a source with knowledge of its plans. The source would not speak on the record because the group has refused to speak about its future plans.
You can follow Kevin Bohn on Twitter @KevinBohnCNN.
Also see:
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Hey look everybody!! Somebody finally showed up to a Romney rally!
No more Sermon on the Mountain shots.
Meranwhile....in a related story yesterday someone on Romney's campaign said that the primary would be won by he who had the money. Silly me. I thought the primary would be won by he who had the votes (ers).
Living and learning. Everyday.
Obama 2012.
If Romney can't convince us he should be President, his big money supporters will buy the lies to convince us!
And people all over Michigan will be working their mute buttons for the next 10 days.
Romney could spend 20 million, almost as much as he made on the big dig in Boston and still lose. What a republican clown. The only people that will vote for you in mass probably work in your campaign office moron.
Obviously one particular candidate and his backers think they can buy the election. Just one more way to turn off the independents that will determine the outcome of the general election. Never thought of an election as a stimulus program, but there may be something to that idea.
SuperPACs are spending millions and millions, probably creating a couple of temp jobs. I hope. I guess this is how the wealthy investors-a.k.a., job creators-stimulate the economy and create jobs. This is why they need the tax breaks, so they can sponsor candidate who will give them even more tax breaks, so they can buy more ads and create more temp jobs.
To any conservative who feels that investors got the shorted by the federal bailout of the automakers, I've got two words for you. "Too bad." You made a bad investment. You win some, you lose some. Get over it. " was your own fault." as Herman Cain would say.
Pres. Obama made a decision that was in the best interest of the workers. Not the investors, because they were going to lose money anyway as the companies sank into bankruptcy. Not the "job creators", because they really don't exist nor live up to their reputations. No, Pres. Obama did what was best for the workers, their families, their kids, and our economy Get over it. Pres. Obama did the best thing for America's future.
Fighting for 50%
While the winner-take-all states change the nature of the game somewhat, both Gingrich and Santorum (and Paul) will continue to fight it out as long as there is a chance that Romney may end up going to Tampa with less than 50% of the delegates.
Ergo, while Romney is clearly leading his rivals by a large margin, and will clearly receive a strong plurality, neither Gingrich nor Santorum will bow out if it looks like Romney can't get 1144 delegates. It therefore benefits Romney to slash-and-burn as hard as he can to gain a bigger advantage in the early states in the hopes he can force out his two main opponents by May. Otherwise, he'll have a divided party all the way until August.
He needs to not only win, but to CRUSH Santorum and Gingrich on March 6 or he's not going to get the delegate advantage he needs to force the race to close early. The truth is, while it makes me quite happy to see team Romney blasting away at the entire GOP with negative ads... that's their best play at this point.
I'm surprised the ad buy is as small as it is.
Good for Gov. Romney. We need him to fix our country.
It's unbeliveable people actually support this unAmerican / money laundering liar. Everytime he opens his big, fat mouth to offer (unwanted) advice – it's always wrong (does bailouts come to mind)? Some businessman. Given the chance Willard would sell this country to the highest bidder. What's wrong with the American people who think he would actually make a good president?
Tennessee ($915,000) so far I didn’t see any ad
Never fear, the super PAC for Gingrich is about to get another ten mil from the Las Vegas billionaire. Soon there will be so much money to buy air time that the radio and TV will be nothing but political bluster.
So these are the kind of job Mitty will create. Too bad American can export campaign ads. Just like his work at Bain Capital. Does not do anything for the GDP
Neither Romney nor Santorum are worth for USA. Period. Obama2012/Hillary16
Myth MorNEY, trying to buy his way into voters heart with his money$$$$$....sorry Mitt, money can't buy you American people's love!
You've got to earn it!!!....better yet, drop out now and go count your tax-free millions that's stashed away in secret vaults in CAYMEN ISLAND and SWISS Bank accounts!!!
I would like to see what everyones response is going to be when Obama runs 100's of millions of dollars worth of negative adds. Will he be the clown that your talking about Or is only a Republican a clown when they spend money on adds? Part of being sucessful in politics is the ability to raise the money to promote yourself. My hat is off to Obama for being able to raise money the way he has. I love how people can be so hypocritical and start railing on someone and when the candidate they support does it well it's a different story.
And these SOBs claim there's class warfare being waged against them. The selling of our government is a legitimate reason for warfare, not just class warfare. They have no shame.
Let me get this straight.... Obama structed the bankruptcy for GM, putting the Unions in the drivers seat for ownership. Just a question. Aren't Unions supposed to be for the workers? Now they are also the owners? Isn't that opposing and why isn't anyone seeing this besides me?
Flipper's campaign song should be the Beatles Can't Buy Me Love.
Right on, Jake.
Ron Paul is doing pretty well with recieving donations. He is second in the race in terms of donations.
If only we could use all of this money for something that is actually good. Such a big waste on politicians.