Romney to put ads on Pennsylvania TV
(CNN) - Mitt Romney will soon run campaign advertisements on Pennsylvania television, a Republican source told CNN on Tuesday. The Romney campaign later released an energy-themed ad which specifically mentions Pennsylvania.
Romney's campaign plans to go up next week in Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday - Election Day, the source said, adding that the buy could be expanded.
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The Philadelphia suburbs are key counties and could determine who wins the state. They are home to middle-income and affluent voters who are conservative on fiscal issues but liberal on social issues, including abortion and gun control.
The ad opens with a clip of Obama from a 2008 interview with the The San Francisco Chronicle in which he says, "If somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can - it's just that it will bankrupt them."
The narrator says that he "kept that promise" and that "Mitt Romney's energy plan is different."
"And, by the way, I like coal," Romney says in footage taken from the first presidential debate between he and Obama. Romney can be seen looking in Obama's direction while the president is looking away from the camera. "People in the coal industry feel like it's getting crushed by your policies. I want to get America and North America energy independent so we can create those jobs."
A fact check conducted in May by the organization Politifact said "Obama made clear in the interview that he was not suggesting an end to coal use," and favored no new coal-fired power plant construction. "So what we have to do then is we have to figure out how can we use coal without emitting greenhouse gases and carbon," Obama says at another point in the interview cited by the fact checking site.
Polls released earlier this month showed the race between President Barack Obama and Mitt was close in the Keystone State. The most recent survey, conducted by the Philadelphia Inquirer between October 23 and 25, found Obama at 49% and Romney at 43%. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted from October 12 through 14 showed Obama at 50% and Romney at 46%. The difference was similarly small in the Muhlenberg College poll, which had Obama at 49% and Romney ad 45% from October 10 through 14, and the Siena College sample: Obama 43%, Romney 40% between October 1 and 5.
After news of the Romney ad buy emerged, Obama's campaign pointed to polling numbers to argue the GOP candidate was bluffing about his chances there.
Pennsylvania is rated as lean Democrat on the CNN Electoral Map. Its electoral votes - 20 this year - last went to a Republican in 1988. In 2008, Obama won it with an 11-point margin.
The source did not yet have an amount for the buy.
Only $193,000 has been spent on presidential campaign ads in the last 60 days in Pennsyvlania, according to ad tracker Kantar Media CMAG. The majority of that, almost $164,000, was spent by groups aligned with Democrats, while Republican-aligned groups have spent almost $30,000.
A memo from Romney campaign political director Rich Beeson sent to reporters Tuesday said the GOP presidential effort "has the resources to expand the map in ways that weren't possible in past cycles (without reducing any effort in any other target state)."
"Pennsylvania presents a unique opportunity for the Romney campaign," the memo read. "Over the past few years we have seen Pennsylvania voting for a Republican senator and a Republican governor, and Republicans win control of the State House in addition to the State Senate. The western part of the Keystone State has become moreconservative (and President Obama's war on coal is very unpopular there), and Mitt Romney is more competitive in the voter-rich Philadelphia suburbs than any Republican nominee since 1988. This makes Pennsylvania a natural next step as we expand the playing field."
Obama campaign manager Jim Messina followed with a statement, saying Republicans are "throwing money at states where they never built an organization and have been losing for two years. Let's be very clear, the Romney campaign and its allies decision to go up with advertising in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Minnesota is a decision made out of weakness, not strength."
"Governor Romney has not been able to put away a single battleground state – in fact, as polls in the past day have showed the candidates tied in North Carolina, Republicans have raced to increase their television advertising there," he added, calling it "desperation."
Earlier this month, politics watchers' eyebrows raised when the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is tasked with electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate, announced it would invest in advertising for the Republican looking to unseat Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.
- CNN's Peter Hamby, Robert Yoon, Paul Steinhauser, and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report
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Mike
PA is NOT in play.
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You are correct, it's not. Neither is Minnesota. At this point, Romney has more money than he has votes ... and no where to go. This is nothing more than an an extension of the Mitt Romney dog and pony show we've seen all year. False narratives picked up by the national media. Romney is getting desperate and it shows today more than anytime else. Using a crisis such as so many are now facing as a political ploy is despicable. Then again, no one ever said Mitt understood decency and statesmanship.
Romney is desperate. He thought he had NC in the bag but was wrong. All Romney thinks about is an opportunity for himself. He did the same at Bain, now he wants to destroy our country. He does not see us as human beings just collateral damage. We don't need a lying, dishonest CEO as President that will outsource our lives. Romney wants the title of President but could care less about the work involved.
Update out of NC Obama 50% Romney 46%
In person voting in FL as of today Party Early Vote %
DEM 251,110 49%
REP 177,958 35%
IND 84,121 16%
TOTAL 513,189
Romney continues to use the storm disaster politically and if you don't know by now who Romney is surely you must know by now he's an opportunist at the expense of people who are in pain and suffering. Romney has no soul.
Robme needs to stay out of Pa. After the stunts that tis republican governor and legislature has pulled on the people of Pa. I like many people would not vote for a republican that was running for dog catcher. Vote a straight democratic ticket and get this country back on track.
Willard your money would be better spent on the victims of this hurricane.
GW would be a breath of fresh air compared to a Romney Administration!
Oops. Looks as if Mitt Romney has too much money to spend between now and November 6th ... and nowhere left to go to conjure up enough votes to get himself elected.
As an Obama campaign volunteer, I plan to be on the streets of PA this weekend to turn out the vote for President Obama. We welcome any Obama supporters who would like to volunteer a few hours. In a tight election, every vote counts. If you don't vote, then your voice is not heard. Democracy is not a spectator sport, get out there and VOTE for PRESIDENT OBAMA!
Im loving all these comments from Dems who are trying not to come across in a panic...too funny. The tide has turned, your precious President is going to be a one termer, just as he had predicted. Can't wait till Nov. 7th and see all of the comments....like Romney stole the election, Romney bought the election..boo hoo hoo.. :'(
Mitt said he would SHUT DOWN FEMA.
Willard is running ads here in Michigan too, and I damn near break my neck changing the channel as soon as I see them. I absolutely refuse to watch cbs, except Wednesdays at 9. Gotta watch Criminal Minds.
OBAMA 2012!
He cant do it without Ohio, and that isn't going to happen. Cant wait to see you miserable for four more years with Obama as your nation's leader.
I guess the Romney team knows they are LOSING Virginia, Ohio and probably Florida so it's desperation time.
Actually critical thinking, I'm looking forward to your comments on the 7th.........after you get hit smack dab in the kisser with reality. Not that Romney hasn't tried to buy the election, or that the GOP hasn't tried to suppress the vote, or that the Romney/Ryan ticket hasn't tried to lie and pander their way into the White House........all of those things have happened, but to no avail. Thankfully, the majority of Americans recognize that our current president has provided the steady leadership we craved after the Bush years, and we won't be giving that up for a phony like Romney.
Really interesting stat via Gallup...Romney currently leads Obama 52% to 45% among voters who say they have already cast their ballots. However, that is comparable to Romney's 51% to 46% lead among all likely voters in Gallup's Oct. 22-28 tracking polling. At the same time, the race is tied at 49% among those who have not yet voted but still intend to vote early, suggesting these voters could cause the race to tighten. However, Romney leads 51% to 45% among the much larger group of voters who plan to vote on Election Day, Nov. 6. My question = Do you think Gallup is just calling the right people? I mean... this is an actual 'exit' poll if you will based on people that ACTUALLY voted... its no longer subjective unless they just called too many republicans. Any thoughts? Especially since our President is the one that gets his folks out to vote a little early – and it is the Western states (WA and Oregon) that mandate early voting- thus driving Dem numbers UP. As a Rep, I'd have to be cautiously optimistic by these numbers.
A vote for Romney is a vote to reward every Repuglican CEO in this country who has chosen to outsource your jobs in the name of profits over people. To the rural voters in PA who plan to vote for the Vulture Capitalist, I ask them to visit Pittsburgh where you can't walk one block without seeing at least one person from India who has been shipped in by corporations dedicated to taking jobs from Americans. That's where my job of 14 years went. Repuglicans voted NO on taxing corporations who outsource to protect their millionaires. Ask yourself if that is the future that you want for our children?
This isn't desperation defense this is going on the attack offense. If things were that bad in the already key battleground states there would be more of a defensive strategy surrounding those areas. This is the 3rd state outside of the battlegrounds that Romney is showing some effort in. The other 2 are Maine & Minnesota. In Response to Tee27^^^^ I can find 8 polls in 5 min that will reflect both leads for Obama & Romney as well as dead heat ties....
@Mike: He cant do it without Ohio, and that isn't going to happen
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Mike, you might want to take look at the lates Ohio polling. President Obama stuck at 48% for weeks, now Romney is at 50%, the undecided voters always turn to the challenger in the last week. Sorry.
Monday, October 29, 2012
The race for Ohio’s Electoral College votes remains very close, but now Mitt Romney now has a two-point advantage.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Ohio Voters shows Romney with 50% support to President Obama’s 48%.
Bob
Really interesting stat via Gallup...Romney currently leads Obama 52% to 45% among voters who say they have already cast their ballots.
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I shouldn't be too concerned with Gallup if I were you. Now doubt Romney is leading in the already voted category in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and other early voting Red states. Gallup polls nationally. Romney lags in the all important swing states, though. By very large numbers.