Advocacy groups, PACs ramp up spending on Pa. campaign ads

Advocacy groups are flooding the airwaves as the Pennsylvania primary nears.

In the contested Democratic primary of the 17th District, environmentalists are criticizing incumbent Congressman Tim Holden for his votes on energy legislation and calling them out of sync with the party.

The League of Conservation Voters has launched a $230,000 ad campaign.

Mike Palamuso, a spokesman for the league, says it’s safe to say TV viewers in the district will see ads several times over the next several days.

“Sometimes organizations or campaigns will do sort of, what they describe as a show buy, just to try to generate some news coverage. That’s not what this is about,” he said.

Also taking aim at Holden with ads are a political action committee, or PAC, and a super PAC, a new kind of political action committee that can raise unlimited funds for a candidate.

In a special election for a vacant state House district, Planned Parenthood has dropped $100,000 on a television ad campaign against the Republican Ryan Mackenzie.