COLUMBUS — Although Ohio is a key battleground state, the Democratic Party is taking its television commercials for Vice President Gore off the air in the state this week and instead spending its money in other hotly contested arenas.

        Democratic officials said the Gore campaign will still spend about $600,000 of its money this week on commercials in Ohio.

        But the party, which had been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in Ohio, will put much of that money this week into Florida, another battleground state.

        “The Republican Party has more money than we do and it's hard to sustain two big states,” said Jim Ruvolo, an adviser to the Gore campaign and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. “I'd rather be on (the air) but I think you are seeing enough with the Gore ads, and with independent expenditure ads, to get our message out,” he said.

        Mr. Ruvolo said the Democratic Party will resume running ads in Ohio for Mr. Gore next Monday or Tuesday.

        Gary Abernathy, spokesman of the Ohio Republican Party, said the decision by the Democrats to forgo ads here for a week shows they are now focused on states Mr. Gore is more likely to win.

        “Even though Bush's lead here has not been large, it has been consistent,” he said.

        The Bush campaign and the Republican Party combined are expected to outspend the Gore campaign 2-to-1 in Ohio this week.

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