I haven't seen this diaried yet, if it has been, let me know and I'll take this down.
After a fury of internet rumors, including Chuck Todd yesterday saying that the GOP may pull out of Wisconsin, the AP is now reporting that the Republican National Committee is pulling ads out of Wisconsin and Maine.
The Republican National Committee is halting presidential ads in Wisconsin and Maine, turning its attention primarily to usually Republican states where GOP nominee John McCain shows signs of faltering.
The party's independent ad operation is doubling its budget to about $10 million and focusing on crucial states such as Colorado, Missouri, Indiana and Virginia where Democrat Barack Obama has established a foothold, according a Republican strategist familiar with presidential ad placements.
Florida and North Carolina have also been in the RNC ad mix, but Pennsylvania is the only Democratic leaning swing state apparently left in the party's ad campaign.
However, the article points out the McCain camp is not pulling out of WI.
While a pullout from Wisconsin is a significant strategic move, it does not represent a full GOP retreat from the state. McCain's campaign has notified Wisconsin stations that it planned to continue to buy air time through Oct. 26. "Like most campaigns, we don't talk strategy and tactics," said McCain Wisconsin spokeswoman Sarah Lenti. "That said we are extremely excited by our chances in Wisconsin and will continue to run ads, period. We are up and running."
And the reason? You guessed it. Money.
The shift in advertising resources suggests that the RNC has decided to focus on defending reliably Republican-voting states against Obama's onslaught of advertising. Flush with money, Obama is outspending the joint efforts of the Republican Party and the McCain campaign by more than 2-1.
The RNC had record fundraising in September, collecting more than $66 million. McCain, meanwhile, is largely limited to the $84 million he agreed to accept in public financing for September and October.
Obama, however, bypassed public financing and has continued to raise money during the campaign. His extraordinary spending suggests his fundraising is at record levels. His campaign has not revealed its September fundraising but must file financial reports with the federal Election Commission by Monday night.
In a sign of his vast resources, Obama has purchased millions of dollars in national network time, airing spots during the Major League Baseball playoffs and during Sunday NFL games. On Sunday, he spent more than $5 million on ads, about half of that on national network spots, according to Evan Tracy, head of TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising.
According to Tracey's data and ad information from ad buyers, Obama spent about $32 million during the week ending last Sunday, McCain spent about $9 million and the RNC spent about $5 million.
and while we're at it...let's throw a little more money at our guy. Really kick 'em while they're down.
https://donate.barackobama.com/...
Update: thanks to Pager, we have this new breaking info about the CO senate race. Note, this is not connected to the McCain camp efforts in CO.
We're hearing credible rumors this morning that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) will shortly pull out of the Colorado Senate race, citing dwindling cash reserves, Schaffer's plummeting poll numbers, and unexpectedly strong threats to incumbent GOP Senators around the country. Such a move would effectively represent the end of the Bob Schaffer's run, as national donors follow the NRSC's cue.
Bottom line: The GOP's morale is very close to spent at this point. They are fighting too many rearguard actions as races around the country start to lock in. And as much as they value holding Wayne Allard's Senate seat, there is a growing recognition that Bob Schaffer is headed for an unpreventable loss, and scarce resources must be deployed elsewhere.
The blog goes on to quote the Denver Post:
Among the challenges for Schaffer is that the roiling political landscape is also forcing Republican backers to triage resources, scurrying to protect vulnerable incumbents at the cost of open seats like Colorado's.
After together spending nearly $2 million in Colorado Senate ads in the last two weeks of September, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Freedom's Watch - two of Schaffer's biggest backers - suddenly pulled out.
Those two groups are now spending millions in Senate races in Oregon and North Carolina, where Republican incumbents are at risk...