McCain Curtails Ads in NH and WI

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A Democratic source tells TIME that John McCain is stretching his media buys in New Hampshire and Wisconsin, spacing out ads they’ve already bought to last through the rest of the election. The move would mean they would not spend any more ad money in the states, effectively pulling out without taking the hit in the press the way they did in Michigan.

A separate, non-partisan source who is in a position to know confirmed McCain is stretching his buy from week to week in New Hampshire, a state McCain is scheduled to visit tomorrow. The source noted, though, that the campaign could change its buys at any time – adding or subtracting – though McCain has fewer ads up this week than last week. “We are constantly adjusting our buy in markets based on our strategic objectives — just like the Obama campaign — but we continue to be on air in all of the targeted states,” a McCain campaign source said when asked for response.

Obama leads McCain 9.4% in New Hampshire and 11.4% in Wisconsin and both are rated “solid Dem” by the non-partisan website RealClearPolitics.com. The move comes as the campaigns finalize their gotv strategies and allot resources to the states they have the best chances of winning.

Update:
The New York Times reports that the McCain campaign is also reducing its ad buys in Minnesota, Colorado and Maine.