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WASHINGTON -- In a battle of unprecedented size and sophistication, Democratic and Republican campaign committees are lavishing money on television commercials in key races two months before elections that will determine which party controls the House.
Strategists in both parties agree that as few as three dozen of the 435 races around the country will be competitive. A switch of eight seats would guarantee a Democratic majority next year.
Democrats began airing their ads in July. Republicans, stripped of their customary election-year financial advantage, started their campaign only in recent days.
Still, both sides are ahead of the spending pace set in previous campaigns. In addition, virtually all ads are now tailored to the political landscape in specific districts, a contrast to the proliferation of "cookie-cutter" productions in 1996 and 1998 in which essentially identical commercials aired in a number of races.
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