Planned Parenthood Action Fund  is up with a new ad in West Palm Beach targeting Mitt Romney for saying he would “get rid” of the group.

The 30-second commercial also challenges Romney’s statements on birth control, choice and equal pay for women.  The spot claims Romney is out “out of touch and just wrong” for women, a critical voting bloc heading into November.

“When Mitt Romney says ‘Planned Parenthood — we’re gonna get rid of that,’ Romney is saying he’ll deny women the birth control and cancer screenings they depend on,” the narrator says in the ad. “When Romney says, ‘Do I believe the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade? Yes,’ he’s saying he’ll deny women the right to make their own medical decisions. And when his campaign can’t say whether he’d support equal pay protections … Romney’s putting your paycheck at risk.”

The spot, part of a $1.4 million buy, is also running on broadcast and cable in Des Moines, northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.  PPAF said the new ad will be the first in a series of spots throughout the general election.

The group is spending more than $300,000 to air the ad in West Palm Beach over the next three weeks, according to sources familiar with the buy.

By advertising in West Palm Beach, as opposed to one of the all-important I-4 markets of Orlando or Tampa, the group is targeting more socially moderate voters.  The West Palm Beach area boasts a high number of transplants from New Jersey and New York and has a substantial number of Independents.

The West Palm Beach market also includes two toss-up congressional races, the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast district 18 and the Broward-Palm Beach district 22. In April, PPAF endorsed Lois Frankel , the democratic frontrunner in FL-22, and Patrick Murphy, who is running to take on Rep. Allen West in FL-18,

And while West Palm Beach may not be as voter-rich as the Orlando and Tampa markets, it is as donor-rich. In terms of zip codes, the market boasts some of the state’s highest concentration of individual contributions to Obama. In that respect, the ad is as much a fundraising appeal for PPAF as it is a vote drive.

–Nora McAlvanah

Tags | Barack Obama, Cecile Richards, Mitt Romney, Planned Parenthood