Obama campaign, pro-Obama super-PAC unveil Spanish-language ads

President Obama's campaign released two Spanish-language television ads Friday, praising Obama's efforts on the economy and his support of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, while jabbing at Republican rival Mitt Romney.

One of the ads, titled "De Eso Nada," features media mogul Cristina Saralegui touting Obama's steps to help the economy recover and linking Romney to the economic policies of former President George W. Bush. It is set to air in Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Ohio and Virginia.

"Let’s talk facts. When President Obama took office our economy was on the verge of disaster. Hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs every month. The policies of the last Republican President were disastrous. Obama stopped the crisis and we are recovering. And now Romney and Ryan ask us to return to the policies that caused the crisis. Back to the future? No way. Forward ... with Obama!" says Saralegui in the ad, translated to English.

Saralegui, a popular talk-show host, made her first endorsement of Obama in June, building on the announcement that the Obama administration would stop deporting certain young illegal immigrants. At the time of the endorsement she called Obama a "principled man" who believes that everyone who "works hard and plays by the rules, should have a fair shot at the American dream."

Meanwhile, the Romney campaign accused Obama of presiding "over the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression" as it launched a new campaign tool to allow voters to learn about the economic situation state-by-state under Romney's plan vs. Obama's plan.

“After four years of disappointment, President Obama hasn’t delivered on the economic prosperity that he promised,” said Romney in a statement. "Now Americans can see exactly how the failures of this President’s economic record have impacted their state."

Obama's second ad, which will air only in Florida, focuses on the president's appointment of Sotomayor.

"I want to talk to you about Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. When she was nominated by President Obama, we all celebrated — Puerto Ricans and all Hispanics. But Mitt Romney was opposed to Sotomayor. He offended me when he stated he would have voted against her nomination," says attorney Nydia Mendez in the ad.

Also on Friday, the pro-Obama super-PAC Priorities USA Action, in conjunction with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), unveiled a series of Spanish-language television and radio ads that the groups said highlighted "Romney’s extreme positions on issues important to Hispanic families."

The ads are part of a $4 million joint campaign running in the contested states of Colorado, Florida and Nevada.

“Mitt Romney’s policies contradict the notion that as President, he would ‘help’ middle class families. Romney would slash education and job opportunities, turn Medicare into vouchercare and raise taxes on middle class families by $2,000, all while giving a tax break to multi-millionaires like himself,” said Bill Burton, senior strategist for Priorities USA Action, in a statement released with the video. "Latino families across the country cannot count on Romney to put their interests above his own.” 

The Romney team released its own Spanish-language ad earlier this week slamming the president on Medicare. The ad, titled "Yo Pagué," claims that the president took billions of dollars from Medicare to pay for his signature healthcare legislation, an accusation the Obama camp denies.

Despite the back-and-forth to win over Hispanic votes, Obama held a strong lead, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll released last month.

Obama overtook Romney 63 percent to 28 percent in the poll. In the 2008 election, Obama took 67 percent to then-GOP nominee Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) 32 percent.

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