Obama to launch $25m ad campaign

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is due to spend $25 million on advertising in nine key swing states.
Photo: barackobama.com.

The Obama campaign is planning to spend $25 million on advertising in nine swing states in the next four weeks. The announcement coincided with the release of a new USA Today / Gallup poll which showed that President Obama‘s lead had narrowed since a similar survey was conducted back in March.

The president’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, told reporters during a conference call that the ads would carry positive messages. The first of these ads will focus on Mr. Obama‘s achievements, namely his role in saving the U.S. economy, in ending the war in Iraq, and in the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last year.

However, Mr. Axelrod warned that the Obama campaign would respond aggressively to any negative advertising put out by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney or the various super PACs supporting him. The president’s chief strategist was referring to the overwhelmingly-negative advertisements which characterized the Republican primary contests.

Mr. Axelrod said he believed such tactics explained why Republican voters were not as enthusiastic about the Nov. 6 election as were Democratic voters. Indeed, the latest USA Today / Gallup survey showed that 57 percent of registered voters identifying themselves as Democrats were very or extremely enthusiastic about the presidential election, compared with 46 percent of those describing themselves as Republicans. Pollsters interviewed 951 participants.

The poll, conducted in 12 swing states, also showed both men in a virtual tie, with Mr. Obama currently garnering the support of 47 percent of those questioned, while Mr. Romney was a close second with 45-percent backing.

In addition, 58 percent of those surveyed described President Obama as “likeable”, while only 31 percent of the participants said so of Mr. Romney.

The initial ad highlights that the economy added some 4.2 million jobs under the Obama administration, although it warns that much more needs to be done and suggests that the president is the right man for this specific task.

“We’re not there yet. It’s still too hard for too many. But we’re coming back,” the advertisement states.