Obama Outspending McCain Nearly 3 to 1 on Television Barack Obama is outspending John McCain at nearly a three-to-one clip on television time in the final weeks of the presidential election, a financial edge that is almost certainly contributing to the momentum for the Illinois senator in key battleground states. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, Obama spent more than $20 million on television ads in 17 states including more than $3 million in Pennsylvania and more than $2 million each in Florida, Michigan, and Ohio. McCain in that same timeframe spent just $7.2 million in 15 states.