Republicans are hoping to put Michigan's Electoral College votes back in play with $3.7 million worth of TV ad buys in the state as the campaign heads into its final week.
As the Detroit Free Press reports, the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity announced an ad buy of $1.5 million Tuesday, while the Super PAC Restore Our Future has purchased $2.2 million of air time.
A new Detroit News poll shows the presidential race tightening to just under a 3 point lead for Obama, proof of Romney’s momentum in the state, Republicans say.
The Obama campaign has vehemently dismissed such claim, senior Obama adviser David Axelrod going so far as to promise to cut off his mustache of 40 years if the president loses Michigan.
Yet the campaign recently announced it will be running its own ad in the state—its first since February.
From the Detroit Free Press:
Senior Obama strategist David Axelrod and campaign manager Jim Messina confirmed Wednesday morning that the campaign will air an ad in Michigan that touts the success of the administration’s efforts in helping to turnaround the auto industry. Axelrod said the campaign decided some time ago “we would not cede any states” if Romney or his supporters went in with ads late in the campaign. “We had a contingency fund set aside just for this purpose,” Axelrod said. “We’re doing it because it’s the prudent thing to do.”
Statistician and New York Times political analyst Nate Silver saysthat while the News has been consistent in its polling, the race is probably not as close as the two or three points the latest poll suggests.
- Jordan Wyant, Michigan Radio Newsroom
