Ad Watch: 2016ers Blitz Airwaves with New Ads Ahead of Iowa

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio deflected a question about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, on Monday, the day after Hillary Clinton had said the state's Republican governor "acted as though he didn't really care" because Flint is a majority African-American city. Rubio, a Republican presidential contender, was asked by reporters before a campaign stop Monday in Coralville, Iowa, about the crisis in Flint -- but said he hasn't been briefed on it.

DES MOINES — (CNN) With a little over a week until the Iowa caucus, 2016 presidential candidates are taking their messages to the airwaves, as Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush all unveiled new ads on Friday.

Here’s a look at the ad blitz as the race continues into the home stretch.

Donald Trump

The GOP front-runner released two ads on Friday, one for television and one for radio.

The television ad will air in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and goes hard on Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, who is currently Trump’s biggest threat in the race.

The ad uses footage of Cruz talking about immigration, trying to clear up amendments he offered to the 2013 bipartisan immigration reform bill that appeared to show him as a supporter of legalizing undocumented immigrants. The clips feature banners with labels including “pro amnesty.” It closes with Trump in an interview saying he will be tough on illegal immigration.

In the radio spot, the campaign uses audio of Jerry Falwell Jr. introducing Trump at Liberty University and praising his character.

“I see a lot of parallels between my father and Donald Trump,” the clip says. “Like Mr. Trump, Dad would speak his mind. He would make statements that were politically incorrect. He speaks the truth publicly, even if it is uncomfortable for people to hear it. Dad explained that when he walked into the voting booth … he was electing a President of the United States to lead a nation.”

Hillary Clinton

The Democratic front-runner also released a new ad to run in her ad buy in Iowa on Friday, called “The World.”

The bio spot uses pictures and video of Clinton as secretary of state and in her past to paint her as the best choice to lead the country.

“The world a president has to grapple with, sometimes you can’t even imagine,” the narrator says. “That’s the job, and she’s prepared for it like no other.”

That’s a not so subtle dig at her primary opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, whose foreign policy credentials the Clinton camp has repeatedly questioned on the campaign trail.

Marco Rubio

The Florida Republican also released ads in Iowa and New Hampshire on Friday, titled “Marcomentum.” The spots, tailored for each state, feature voters praising Rubio straight to camera and saying how he understands the issues facing the states’ residents.

The ads are set to begin airing Friday.

Jeb Bush

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush tapped his famous family for his latest spot — specifically his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush.

“When push comes to shove, people are going to realize Jeb has real solutions,” Barbara Bush says in the video. “Of all the people running, he seems to be the one who can solve the problems. I think he’ll be a great president.”

The video has a corresponding mailer featuring a hand-written letter by the former first lady.

The ad is billed as a Web video by the campaign. Bush is struggling in the polls and needs a strong finish in New Hampshire to keep his campaign alive.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (Photo: CNN)

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