More than $65 million was spent on anti-Pelosi ads

It's no secret that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wasn't a popular figure during the 2010 campaign, but it turns out her lack of popularity was record-breaking.

A new Campaign Media Analysis Group study of political ads for CNN finds that more money was spent and more commercials were aired trashing Pelosi than any other congressional leader since Newt Gingrich 16 years ago.

According to the analysis, 161,203 anti-Pelosi ads aired between January 1 and Election Day at a cost of more than $65 million. Almost half of that money came from individual congressional campaigns, while independent groups supporting GOP candidates chipped in $22 million. Republican party committees spent $8 million.

Where did most of the anti-Pelosi ads air? Not in Pelosi's own northern California congressional district (where she handily won re-election) but in Pennsylvania, home to several hard-fought congressional races. According to CMAG, 14,443 ads trashing Pelosi aired in the state this year, which could be among the reasons why five House Democrats in Pennsylvania lost their bids for re-election.

Of course, it wasn't just Republicans targeting Pelosi. As The Upshot previously reported, plenty of Democrats also ran ads dissing Pelosi. Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly was one of the first Dems to run ads denouncing her — a tactic that helped him win re-election last week. But it didn't work for everyone. In Texas, Rep. Chet Edwards, a onetime Pelosi ally, ran ads against the Democratic leader but ended up losing his race anyway.

(Photo of Pelosi: Alex Brandon/AP)