Fiorina vs. Boxer: Let the ad wars begin

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Television advertising in California’s Senate race has been tame compared to the millions being spent in the governor’s race. But Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina is expected to air her first spots since the primary this week, according to several sources familiar with her latest ad purchase.

Fiorina’s Democratic opponent, Barbara Boxer, got a head start 10 days ago, first launching a positive spot and then, two days later, a scathing attack on Fiorina’s record as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard -- a move that analysts saw as an indication of how close the race is.

In the effort to define her opponent, Boxer is estimated to have spent over $2 million on those ads in the first week, which translated to 1,500 ads in California’s four biggest media markets, according to an analysis by Nielsen Co. About 9% of Boxer’s spots were aired during prime time, and more than a quarter of the ads ran in the L.A. area, the analysis said.

Boxer is still estimated to be spending around $1.5 million on ads in the L.A. area — a substantial buy by any measure. Fiorina’s campaign was reportedly still snapping up air time, but one source familiar with the purchase estimated that it could reach $500,000 to $750,000 in L.A. this week.

Fiorina spokeswoman Julie Soderlund declined to discuss the campaign’s ad strategy or timing.

Fiorina boosted her advertising purchases during the primary race by lending her own money to her campaign — a total of $5.5 million — but she has yet to reveal whether she has put more of her personal fortune into her effort. She has kept a brisk pace on the fundraising circuit, holding events with two former U.S. secretaries of State, George Shultz and Condoleezza Rice, in recent days. This week, she heads to Washington for a series of fundraisers, including one headlined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz,) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) Thursday before circling back to California for an event with U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the Republican deputy whip.

Boxer, who had no primary opponent, came into the race with a major fundraising advantage, reporting nearly $7.3 million in cash on hand at the end of 2009 before the campaign had really even gotten started, but she’s also been hustling to raise money. She held a fundraiser last weekend at the home of Magic and Cookie Johnson in Los Angeles that included a performance by Sheryl Crow, and the White House announced Tuesday that Michelle Obama would be heading west to raise money on her behalf in October.

-- Maeve Restonin Los Angeles