Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both claiming momentum in the closing weeks before the Jan. 3 Democratic caucuses in Iowa, each unveiled a new 30-second TV spot in the state yesterday.
Clinton's ad highlights the big coup she scored over the weekend in winning the endorsement of The Des Moines Register, the state's biggest newspaper.
Her ad is a recitation of the editorial, in which the paper wrote, "We believe Hillary Rodham Clinton can do great things for our country."
Obama's ad seeks to sum up his appeal by quoting from a variety of papers and scribes, who use superlatives such as refreshing and scrupulous to describe his character. The ad, set against an uplifting soundtrack, closes by saying Obama will bring "change we can believe in."
Obama has also won the backing of Dave Loebsack, an activist who taught political science at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, before winning election to Congress last year.
Another leading Democrat, former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, picked up a key endorsement of his own in Iowa, Mari Culver, wife of Governor Chet Culver.
She had been expected to stay neutral, but said the country needs "a leader who will fight for our families."
On the Republican side, US Representative Steve King of Iowa endorsed Fred Thompson. King has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration, and a recent measure he proposed to punish companies that hire illegal immigrants won Thompson's support.
GLOBE STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS
