Outside groups plan to spend heavily

The first wave in a flood of spending by independent groups in the general election race for the White House came Tuesday with a TV ad blasting Sen John McCain (R-AZ) for his support of the Iraq war. The spot was paid for by the liberal MoveOn.org Political Action and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- two of the many outside groups and labor unions poised to spend millions to help elect Sen Barack Obama (D-IL). The $540,000 ad campaign is running nationwide on cable and in local TV markets in the battleground states of Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan.Outside groups have spent more than $25 million since Jan. 1, 2007, on "independent expenditures," and more than 70% has gone toward Democratic candidates, according to an analysis by USA TODAY of campaign-finance data. That's nearly half of what was spent by these groups in 2004. Among the groups gearing up: Planned Parenthood, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the AFL-CIO. Sens McCain and Obama frown on the efforts by these outside groups, who were big players four years ago and who cannot legally coordinate with candidates. But there is little either can do to stop them.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080618/a_outsidespending18.art.htm