As for issues, the spot mentions Obama's support for "welfare to work," tax cuts for working families and "healthcare for wounded troops."
Obama media strategist Jim Margolis described the spot as an effort to introduce the Democrat to voters who know little of his life story.
"For a lot of people, this is new information," Margolis said.
The ad comes after months of efforts by Republicans to raise doubts about Obama's patriotism.
Among other things, they have questioned why he sometimes did not wear a flag pin on his lapel.
The spot also responds implicitly to attacks by McCain and former Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton for Obama's remark that some small-town Americans cling to guns and religion out of bitterness over economic hardships.
Obama's campaign said the ad would also run in New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Missouri and Virginia.
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michael.finnegan@ latimes.com
