Obama Ad Blitz Stifles McCain

Over the past three weeks, Northern Virginia TV viewers have seen 1,342 commercials from Barack Obama … and eight from John McCain. Obama is dominating the airwaves, Politico reports, outspending McCain and the Republican National Committee as much as 8-1 in some markets, blunting GOP attacks with a sustained presence. “McCain is virtually invisible in the commercial breaks,” said one station executive.

McCain is running almost entirely attack ads, but Obama has been able to match his spending on negative spots, and use his remaining cash for positive ones. “He’s able to be both the good cop and the bad cop,” said one analyst. Pennsylvania is one state where McCain’s keeping up, with each campaign dropping $16.5 million there since June. (More Election 2008 stories.)