Barack Obama is blanketing Ohio with campaign ads in a huge media buy that appears to double that of Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

While no dollar amounts were released for Obama's ad buy, Bob Clegg, a long-time media specialist at Midwest Communications and Media in Columbus, described it somewhere between "very large and huge" on a statewide basis.

Obama's ad campaign is viewed as crucial in a state where Clinton's lead may be well into double digits.

Clegg said Obama's campaign even purchased airtime for three separate ads in the Cincinnati market, usually not a priority for Democrats because it is a Republican stronghold and much of the advertising is "wasted" because the market includes portions of Indiana and Kentucky.

Hillary Clinton's ad purchases, including a new one that began yesterday, are probably half of Obama's total thus far, he said.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has not bought airtime yet, Clegg said.

Meanwhile, Obama's ground war began over the weekend with a pair of glossy mail pieces attacking Clinton.

"Hillary Clinton believes NAFTA was 'a boon' to our economy" claimed one, emblazoned atop a large photo of a padlocked plant gate. Clinton's stance on the North American Free Trade Act, approved by her husband in the 1990s, has been a hot topic in economically distressed states such as Ohio.

The other says "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance, even if you can't afford it" above a couple going through some papers at their kitchen table. The coverage afforded by the two Democrats' health-care plans is the main point of contention on that topic.

ajohnson@dispatch.com

drowland@dispatch.com