Ad War Heats Up

President Bush will launch his first major campaign advertising effort in nearly three weeks on Friday, including his first foray onto North Carolina's airwaves to defend traditionally GOP turf.

The campaign will roll out new ads and could expand a commercial running on national cable networks to local media markets in the 19 states where Mr. Bush will be on the air. The ad features GOP Sen. John McCain praising Mr. Bush's efforts in the war on terror. The rollout will cost $8 million over the next two weeks.

On Thursday, McCain said he would campaign for Mr. Bush but would not attack either Democratic candidate John Kerry or his running mate, John Edwards, fellow senators he called his friends. He also called Edwards, D-N.C., "a good man" and said Kerry, D-Mass., had made a good selection.

"We need to reduce the personal attacks aspect and focus more on the issues that face us in the future," McCain told NBC.

Unlike in previous months, Mr. Bush won't advertise in local media markets in Republican-leaning Virginia and Louisiana, two states the campaign thinks aren't in play even though Kerry has advertised in both.

Meanwhile, Kerry's campaign is spending $18 million this month in local media markets in 19 states and on national cable networks. A day after Kerry named Edwards as his running mate, the Democrat on Wednesday expanded his advertising to Edwards' home state, and unveiled a new wave of commercials.

The ads don't mention Mr. Bush, but they attempt to subtly contrast his proposals with Kerry's, saying Kerry will "fight for the middle class," while being "tough and smart" on the war on terror.

Mr. Bush won North Carolina by 13 points in 2000, but is going on the air there to keep Kerry from making inroads. Democrats hope Edwards can help put his traditionally GOP state — and its 15 electoral votes — in play, along with other Southern venues.

Underscoring the campaign's effort to win the South, Kerry and Edwards campaigned together in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Wednesday and were holding a rally in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday. Then the Democratic running mates were heading to New Mexico, West Virginia and New York before heading to North Carolina.

"Thank you Florida, where this time not only does every vote count, but every vote's going to be counted," Kerry said at a Wednesday night rally, referring to the state's botched 2000 presidential election.

Mr. Bush was in North Carolina on Wednesday, where he said he was unconcerned about the potential of Edwards to help carry states in the South — the backbone of Mr. Bush's political support.

"When they go to the polls to vote for president, they'll understand the senator from Massachusetts doesn't share their values," Mr. Bush said. "I'm going to carry the South because the people understand that they share — we share values."

When a reporter noted that Edwards was being described as "charming, engaging, a nimble campaigner, a populist and even sexy" and then asked "How does he stack up against Dick Cheney?" the president immediately responded, "Dick Cheney can be president. Next?"

First lady Laura Bush was in Iowa, where she predicted her husband would win the state in November. Mr. Bush was headed to Pennsylvania on Friday and has a Midwestern bus tour scheduled for next week.

Both campaigns largely backed off major campaign ad buys leading up to the Fourth of July, with competing ads in New Mexico the exception. Before that, the campaigns and independent groups spent freely.

Through July, Mr. Bush's campaign will have spent more than $90 million on ads, many of them negative and intended to define Kerry as a flip-flopper and a tax-raiser who is soft on defense.

Since March, Kerry's campaign has spent about $80 million on ads meant to introduce the four-term Massachusetts senator to the electorate. Democratic-leaning interest groups spent an additional $40 million on ads critical of Mr. Bush.

Meanwhile, the NAACP said Mr. Bush declined an invitation to speak at its annual convention.

Democratic challenger John Kerry accepted an invitation to speak next Thursday on the final day of the convention, which 8,000 people are expected to attend.

Mr. Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP convention in Baltimore when he was a candidate. But he has declined invitations to speak in each year of his presidency, the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention, John White, a spokesman for the group, said Wednesday.

The NAACP received a letter from the White House three weeks ago declining the invitation because of scheduling conflicts and thanking it for understanding.

White House spokesman Jim Morrell said Wednesday that the president has spoken about "equal opportunity and equal rights for all Americans" in many public places.