Kim Geiger writes at The Los Angeles Times:
A "super PAC" backing Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney launched the most expensive ad campaign in the GOP primary to date with a 30-second spot touting Romney’s record.
Restore Our Future, a committee formed by several former Romney aides, including Republican operative Carl Forti, will spend $3.1 million airing pro-Romney ads in Iowa, the group announced on Thursday.
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To put the $3.1 million in perspective, Barack Obama spent $9 million on paid media in Iowa during his campaign for the Democratic nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton spent $7.2 million, and John Edwards spent $3.2 million, according to tabulations by CNN.
At The New York Times, Michael Shear reports on another ad:
The disappearing attack ad by a Super PAC backing Mitt Romney appears to have appeared again.
The ad, which criticizes Newt Gingrich as a creature of Washington and a magnet for controversy, had briefly appeared on the Internet on Thursdaybefore being quickly pulled by the group, Restore Our Future.
But the ad now links to a site run by the group: newtfacts.com. Officials with the group said the site going live would be an indication that the ad has begun running.
According to officials at the group, which is run by former associates of Mr. Romney, the ad was not “finished” when it was released on Thursday. That caused some to speculate that it had been released only briefly to generate news coverage.
But for maximum impact in Iowa, where voters will gather to caucus on Jan. 3, the group had to pay to air it on television. It is unclear how much money the group is spending on that ad alone.
