Obama allies turn to targeted TV ads to shore up niche voters

Among the ads for toothpaste and dish detergent, the loyal viewers of daytime television are seeing a new pitch: Support President Barack Obama.

“Judge Judy,” in fact, has become one of the favorite venues for the Obama campaign and its allies to reach sympathetic voters. When the courtroom reality show featuring a sharp-tongued former judge airs in swing states, it often comes with ads telling viewers that Republican candidate Mitt Romney uses tax havens and has shipped jobs overseas as a businessman. The show is considered an ideal vehicle for commercials pushing the president’s reelection because such courtroom programs are watched by a large number of African Americans — twice the average share for television in general. Those shows also disproportionately draw Hispanics, another voting bloc critical for an Obama victory. With the President and Romney virtually tied in the polls, targeted TV ads have become a central strategy to shore up support for Obama among voters who turned out in force in 2008.