Paul launches $2M ad campaign in early voting states

Ron Paul is taking to the airwaves with a $2 million ad campaign in key early-voting states that touts his plan for massive budget cuts and likens his Republican presidential rivals to President Obama.

The slickly produced ads will begin airing this weekend in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, according to Paul spokesman Jesse Benton.

One of the ads (at left) focuses on Paul's recently unveiled economic plan, which calls for the dismantling of five Cabinet agencies, among other budget cuts. Another highlights Paul's consistent calls for federal belt-tightening by showing him making similar points in film clips that date back nearly a quarter-century (watch below). Viewers watch the lawmaker's hair go from dark black to snowy white over the course of the 60-second spot, which suggests that other Republican candidates are taking similar positions on federal bailouts and subsidies to Obama's.

The ad buy is a reflection of the fundraising prowess that could make Paul a significant factor in the campaign despite his relatively low poll numbers. As of Sept. 30, Paul's presidential campaign committee had raised more than $12 million.

Paul's last major ad campaign aired in New Hampshire and Iowa in early September and attacked presidential rival (and fellow Texan) Rick Perry for once supporting Al Gore for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination. Perry, a Democrat at the time, later changed parties.