A new ad from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue attacks Republican Pat McCrory over trash.

A new ad from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole boasts of her record on taxes and criticizes Democratic rival Kay Hagan.

Barack Obama is spending more on ads in North Carolina.

According to the latest figures from the Wisconsin Advertising Project, the Obama campaign spent $1.2 million in N.C. advertising between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, while John McCain's campaign spent $148,000, Peter St. Onge reports.

That's about an 8-to-1 advantage in spending for Obama.

Nationwide, Obama spent roughly $17.4 million to McCain's $10.8 in the same time period. In 15 states the project labels as "battleground" — including North Carolina — the spending is closer, with Obama at $8.1 million to McCain's $6.5 million.

Of course, any political veteran will tell you money doesn't win elections, but it allows you to get more of your message out, unfiltered, and in Obama's case lets the campaign have a bit more control over how he is introduced to voters.

Obama N.C. campaign spokesman Paul Cox declined to talk about advertising strategy, but he said that Obama's success is due to more than money.

"One of our greatest sources of strength is our grassroots organization," says Cox, pointing to the campaign's 45 offices and 17,000 active volunteers in North Carolina. "We are reaching out to virtually every area of the state. It would be very difficult for the McCain campaign to catch up to us..."

The McCain campaign did not return a call for comment.

Did U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole vote against providing body armor?

A new TV ad from Vote Vets, a veterans advocacy group opposed to the Iraq war, claims that Dole voted against paying for armor for soldiers on Oct. 2, 2003.

The vote was on an amendment to a supplemental military appropriations bill for Iraq and Afghanistan proposed by Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. It would have redirected $322 million for reconstruction in Iraq to additional "safety equipment."

In proposing the amendment, Dodd described the equipment as "high-tech body armor, bullet-proof helmets, special water packs to keep soldiers hydrated, and other survival gear."

The water packs, called CamelBaks, are attached to soldiers' backpacks and allow them to drink water without stopping. Body armor — such as the bulletproof vests shown in the ad — was also mentioned, but the debate focused on hydration systems.

Senate Republicans argued that the military budget already included enough money to purchase the equipment. A spokesman for Dole said the amendment was a "political stunt."

A motion to table the amendment passed on party lines, with Dole voting for it.

A new ad from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole touts her childhood in Salisbury and her votes on taxes and offshore drilling.

North Carolina legislators cannot balance the budget using debt.

Under Article V, Section III, of the state constitution, the state can only issue debt if it's approved by a majority of voters or if it's for one of six specific purposes:

1. To convert existing debt.
2. To cover an unforeseen deficit.
3. To borrow ahead of anticipated revenue.
4. In case of riots or invasions.
5. In case of emergencies.
6. If the state has already reduced its debt by two-thirds.

The constitution does not allow legislators to borrow money to make ends meet in the general budget.

A recent ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee criticizes Democratic Senate candidate Kay Hagan, quoting her own ad saying she balanced the state budget.

"Balanced? That's a hoax. Hagan just borrowed the money," the ad says.

That's not true, however.

During her time chairing the Senate Appropriations committee, Hagan increased the amount of non-voter-approved debt to build new prisons and other capital projects.

But it's not accurate to say that she used it to "balance the budget."

A veterans' group is spending $200,000 on TV ads saying U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole voted against body armor for troops.

The ad by VoteVets.org features a man identified as an Iraq war veteran firing shots from an AK-47 through a flak jacket given out early in the war. He also fires into more modern body armor, which stops the shots. It claims Dole twice voted against the more modern armor, Jim Morrill reports.

The ad appears to be the same one used in 2006 in a Virginia Senate race. According to the watchdog site FactCheck.org, the votes came on a 2003 amendment that would have appropriated just over $1 billion for unspecified "National Guard and Reserve Equipment" but made no mention of body armor. The amendment lost on a generally party-line vote.

The group called the ad false.

"America's active duty personnel and veterans have no greater friend than Elizabeth Dole," said campaign spokesman Dan McLagan. "To accuse her of causing them harm is the lowest form of sleazeball politics."

An anti-union group is spending big money attacking Kay Hagan. 

The Employee Freedom Action Committee is spending $1 million on online ads and mailings that criticize Hagan, according to spokesman Tim Miller. It also ran a full-page ad in the N&O on Sept. 30.

The group is attacking her support for legislation that would make it easier for unions to organize. It's also spending $2 million for a TV ad featuring former Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern criticizing the legislation, Jim Morrill reports.

The ad is running in North Carolina and a half-dozen other states.

The committee is affiliated with The Center for Union Facts. It opposes the legislation, which would allow workers to unionize by signing cards instead of through a secret-ballot election.

"Kay supports it as a way to level the playing field for working families," said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan. "This bill simply allows the workers, not the employers, to decide which method to use, and stiffens penalties for intimidation."

A new ad by the Vote Vets political action committee criticizes U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole over votes on providing body armor to troops.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's latest ad criticizes U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole on her record on jobs.