He hammered Santorum on the airwaves in Illinois:
Santorum’s campaign and super PAC have been outspent by a margin of 7 to 1 in the Illinois primary, with forces supporting Mitt Romney shelling out a total of about $3.7 million on the airwaves, according to a GOP media-buying source. … The gulf was even more enormous in the crucial, expensive Chicago media market. There, Romney’s campaign spent $710,158 and his super PAC spent $1,367,125. The only pro-Santorum spending was $97,119 from the campaign, the same source said. That amounts to a spending disparity of 21 to 1 in Romney’s favor.
A quick look at spending in upcoming states, via First Read:
Louisiana: Restore Our Future $612,000, Red White and Blue Fund $244,000, Winning Freedom $50,000, Santorum $32,000, Winning Our Future $2,900
Wisconsin: Restore Our Future $1.3 million, Santorum campaign $39,000
Meanwhile, as the ACA heads to Court, the RNC ramps up its healthcare attack in six key states:
Devin Dwyer has more:
The RNC accurately notes that the “change” Obama promised on health care premiums has not yet come come about as his first term draws to a close. Annual premiums for a family health plan rose 9 percent, or $1,300, last year, topping $15,000 for the first time ever, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. The annual increase was triple the rise from 2010. The study also found that up to 2 percent of the higher premiums were because of the Affordable Care Act’s provisions, such as allowing parents to keep young adult children on their policies up to age 26. …
Obama’s campaign aides insist immediate cost-saving measures for individuals included in the health law, and longer-term projections of lower costs overall, will win eventual support of voters.
Previous Ad War Updates: Mar 19, Mar 16, Mar 15, Mar 14, Mar 13, Mar 12, Mar 9, Mar 8, Mar 7, Mar 6, Mar 5, Mar 2, Mar 1, Feb 29, Feb 28, Feb 27, Feb 23, Feb 22, Feb 21, Feb 17, Feb 16, Feb 15, Feb 14, Feb 13, Feb 9, Feb 8, Feb 7, Feb 6, Feb 3, Feb 2, Feb 1, Jan 30, Jan 29, Jan 27, Jan 26, Jan 25, Jan 24, Jan 22, Jan 20, Jan 19, Jan 18, Jan 17, Jan 16 and Jan 12.
The Dish 