Romney reaches 10,000 TV ads

It's well-known that Mitt Romney is vastly outspending his Republican rivals in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Still, a head-turning new number shows how much: He just passed the 10,000 TV ad milestone, according to TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG, which tracks political advertising for CNN.

Nearly all the spots ran in Iowa, which hosts the first caucus, and in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary. The former Massachusetts governor is focusing on those two states to build momentum for his presidential bid and has recently begun advertising in South Carolina and Florida, which come up next in the primary calendar.

"This shows that Romney is a force to be reckoned with, and clearly he is relying on paid advertising and paid media to move his campaign," Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of TNS Media Intelligence, told CNN today.

Romney, who reportedly has invested about $8 million for the ad buys, is the first candidate to pass that mark. And by starting the ads early and often, he surged to the head of the pack in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, though a survey last week showed that his lead is narrowing. John McCain, one of his GOP competitors, just started TV ads over the weekend.

On the Democratic side, TNS Media Intelligence says that Bill Richardson has run the most ads, more than 4,300 -- not that they have boosted him into the top tier of candidates. He is still languishing well behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards.