Romney Pinching Pennies on Ads

Mitt Romney and the Republicans have made plenty of big fundraising headlines over the summer—but with restrictions on political cash, Romney's already facing some financial hurdles. The indebted campaign is holding back on advertising spending at a time when the candidate may sorely need it. President Obama and his backers are spending far more than Romney and his super PACs in Colorado, New Hampshire, and Ohio, the New York Times reports; in Ohio, for instance, Obama and backers are spending $5.2 million to Romney and his backers' $3.7 million.

Meanwhile, in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, and Virginia, spending is about even—but Romney-backing super PACs are behind nearly half his ads. In fact, Romney's much-vaunted fundraising figures—June's $106 million and July's $101 million—included a significant portion of cash that goes to the RNC, not the campaign itself. The RNC can only spend $15 million more on ads with the Romney team. Obama, thanks to small donors who can keep giving, is actually raising much more flexible cash. Still, in the coming months, the Romney campaign could drop millions in an ad market "at any given moment," the Times notes. (More Mitt Romney 2012 stories.)