Presidential air wars heating up

With more than five months to go before Election Day, the presidential contest is already heating up in a big way on North Carolina airwaves.

The Obama campaign is rolling out two 30-second spots today, answering a major ad buy by conservative 501(c)4 Crossroads GPS for an spot attacking the president.

Crossroads GPS said Tuesday it’s spending $965,000 on NC airtime for “Basketball.”

“I supported President Obama because he spoke so beautifully,” the female narrator says. “He promised change. But things changed for the worse.”

The Obama campaign wouldn’t say what it’s spending on the two ads unveiled today, but a campaign official says they’ll both run on broadcast television.

One ad, “Personal,” is aimed at senior citizens, touting the President’s commitment to preserving Medicare and his progress in fighting health care fraud.

“To you and your loved ones, Medicare is personal," the female narrator says. "And to a President raised by his grandparents, it’s personal, too."

The second ad, “Sacred Trust,” is directed at servicemembers, veterans, and their families.

The ad features President Obama thanking veterans: “It’s because of what they’ve done that we’ve been able to go after al Qaeda and kill bin Laden."

“And when they come home, we have a sacred trust to make sure that we are doing everything we can," he continues. "It’s not enough just to make a speech about how much we value veterans, it’s not enough just to remember them on Memorial Day."