Senate Contests Ringing Up Record Ad Tabs

Senate races in 11 hotly contested states are drawing record sums in spending on TV advertising, the Washington Post reports. Both parties stick to repeated attacks: Democrats and their backers tie Republicans to Bush and aid for big corporations, while GOP supporters say Democrats will tax and spend freely. “It's very difficult for anybody to get a message across” amid the cacophony, says one campaign manager.

Ad sweeps in North Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon, and Colorado have totaled more than $30 million each. Much of the money is coming from outside the campaigns themselves, instead pouring from party committees and action groups. “It becomes very difficult because there are so many other players involved,” says a political consultant. “I feel sorry for the voters of Oregon, who are just inundated with commercials.”
(More Senate stories.)