Republicans eager to grab on to Mitt Romney's lengthening coattails in the battleground state of Virginia are unlocking the advertising treasure chest to help Senate candidate George Allen across the finish line ahead of Democrat Tim Kaine.
GOP officials tell Secrets that the National Republican Senatorial Campaign, already spending $1.1 million a week in Northern Virginia for pro-Allen ads, is adding $225,000 a week to saturate the Richmond TV market, nearly twice what the Democrats are spending to help Kaine there.
In addition to seeing a Romney surge in the state, the Allen campaign's focus on defense spending cuts and the threat of a budget sequestration in January to the Pentagon is driving poll numbers in his favor, GOP sources said. Just Thursday, the Allen campaign released a new ad focused on defense jobs.
At rallies Wednesday while her husband prepared for the latest Allen-Kaine debate, Susan Allen promised that her husband would work to save defense jobs if he's elected.
Added a GOP official, "The Virginia Senate race is one of the closest in the country, and particularly with Governor Romney surging Republicans want to make doubly-sure that it's all hands on deck to help elect George Allen less than three weeks from now."
