Washington, Nov 1: Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has said that his Republican rival John McCain is taking the low road to the White House, as the Democrat puts up ads in reliably Republican states.

Obama ratcheted up his rhetoric against McCain on Friday, accusing him of taking the “low road” to the White House, as the Obama campaign attempts to defend its lead in critical battlegrounds across the country.

At the same time, the Democratic candidate is expanding his advertising into Republican territory and even taking a swipe at McCain’s home turf, FOX News reported.

Obama’s campaign, capitalizing on his vast financial resources and a favorable political climate, announced that it was returning to advertising in Georgia and North Dakota, two heavily GOP states that Obama had eyed early in the general election race but then abandoned.

The campaign is also airing a TV commercial in McCain’s home state of Arizona.

In a homecoming of sorts, Obama riled up supporters on Friday morning in Iowa, the site of his lead off caucus victory in the Democratic primaries. There he accused McCain of going negative during the closing days of the race.

"More of the slash-and-burn, say-anything, do-anything politics that’s calculated to divide and distract -- to tear us apart instead of bringing us together," Obama said.

Polls show Obama leading in Iowa, a state that went red in the 2004 election. While most polls show McCain slightly ahead in Georgia and Arizona, a few show Obama leading slightly in North Dakota.

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said the race has tightened in Arizona, Georgia and North Dakota.

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis derided Obama’s moves: “We encourage them to pick other states that we intend to win” to spend their money. (ANI)