2012 political TV ads: The rush is on

With nearly six months left before Election Day, national party committees have already reserved more than $72 million in television airtime for a fall campaign that’s shaping up as a Super Bowl-like spectacle of political advertising.

Given that the 2012 cycle may go down in history as the most cluttered and expensive in history, committees and super PACs are maneuvering to get the most bang for their buck. For many, that means buying their ads unusually early. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has booked $25 million in airtime in the targeted states of Virginia, Missouri, Montana, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Nevada, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has reserved $15.6 million across Missouri, Montana and Virginia. Those numbers are sure to grow. On the House side, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is in the process of reserving $32 million in advertising across 26 congressional districts in what party officials call an attempt to lock in low advertising rates and ensure the group’s ads don’t get lost in a flood of outside money.