Outside money fills airwaves in tight Senate races

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Campaign cash from outside political groups is flooding
into conservative states with close Senate races like Indiana and Montana, where
 residents are less accustomed to a relentless barrage of attack ads on TV.
   While the most expensive Senate battles are being fought in presidential
battlegrounds like Florida, Ohio and Virginia, Republican-leaning states like North
Dakota and Arizona aren't being left out.
   Campaign finance expert Darrell West says outside groups get more bang for their
 buck in smaller markets like Fargo, N.D. For example, Karl Rove's Crossroads
 groups announced $4 million in ad buys Tuesday targeting competitive Senate
races in North Dakota and Montana as well as Florida and Virginia.
   Despite a 2-to-1 outside spending advantage, GOP chances of taking control of
 the Senate have shrunk recently.
   AP-WF-10-03-12 0644GMT