NPR Interviews Trevor Potter on Obama's Advertising Advantage Over Romney

Trevor Potter was interviewed by NPR concerning the amount of money each candidate's campaign is raising for advertising.  Mitt Romney's main fundraising committee filed its latest report with the Federal Election Commission Monday night. The numbers offer some clues as to why President Obama has had more TV advertising money at his disposal in recent months, despite rough parity in total fundraising.  To read the full transcript, go to NPR's website.

Excerpt taken from the transcript.

OVERBY: The Victory Fund is paying the state parties $20,000 a month to park the money with them. In Boise, Idaho GOP director Joshua Whitworth said Idaho Republicans are using their 8 million for mailings into nearby battleground states, Nevada and Colorado. He said they'll be helping with other campaign costs, too.

State party officials in the fourth state, Massachusetts, didn't respond to an interview request. The Victory Fund solicits money for state parties simply because it lets them collect larger amounts. But then, the money actually has to go to the designated states. The campaign has to let go of the cash, even if it tries to keep control of it. Trevor Potter was general counsel to the last Republican nominee, John McCain.

TREVOR POTTER: The campaign wants the state parties to basically do what they ask them to do.

OVERBY: That is, spend the money the way the campaign wants them to spend it.

POTTER: Which is walking a gray area because this is money that is supposed to be spent by the parties.

OVERBY: There are some battleground states where a candidate and his campaign don't necessarily trust the judgment of the state politicos. So they look for ways to funnel in state party money from elsewhere.