Obama outspending Romney on Spanish ads

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WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign has spent more than $2 million on Spanish-language ads since April to lock down the Latino vote, media buy trackers said.

That's in addition to the $4 million super PAC Priorities USA Action and the Service Employees International Union have committed to spending on Spanish television and radio throughout the summer in Colorado, Nevada and Florida, Politico reported Sunday.

In comparison, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has spent about $110,000 on Spanish-language ads, the news organization reported.

"In the past, a number of political campaigns have made the mistake when targeting Hispanic and Latino voters of either starting communicating with them too late or spending too little," said John Rowley, a Democratic media consultant. "I think that's a mistake that the Obama team is trying to not make."

A June survey of five swing states showed Obama has a significant lead over Romney among Latino voters, with an overall 36-percentage point lead in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Virginia, Politico said.

"It's a lot of votes," Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas, said. "And that may well determine who wins this election if it comes down to certain battleground states."