As the RNC struggles, Rove-backed group plans $10 million GOTV effort

American Crossroads, the conservative group linked to former Bush advisers Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, plans to spend more than $10 million on a massive get-out-the-vote program ahead of the midterm elections this fall. It's another sign that outside groups are quickly moving in to assume roles generally filled by the Republican National Committee, which has struggled to raise funds under embattled chairman Michael Steele.

The program, called MOVERS ("mobilizing our voters to end reckless spending"), will target Republicans and independent voters in eight states with key Senate races: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Washington. The group is planning ads and has already run some in several of those states. In Nevada, for instance, the group has spent more than $1 million to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Perhaps the biggest surprise on that list is the inclusion of Arkansas, where Republican John Boozman has held a double-digit lead over Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln for weeks. Lincoln has gotten virtually no assistance from Democratic groups, many of whom spent heavily on an unsuccessful effort to oust her in the primary. Even though political trends in the state might suggest she's a goner, Republicans are taking no chances.

The RNC has announced it will have its own GOTV effort this fall, but it's still not clear how much that initiative may overlap with Crossroads' efforts. One thing is clear, however: At that stage of the race, Crossroads will likely have more money to spend. The group has announced it will raise and spend more than $50 million to boost GOP candidates ahead of the midterms. While Steele told RNC members last month that the party would raise upwards of $60 million before Election Day, the party had just over $5 million in the bank, according to its latest Federal Election Commission report.

(Photo of Boozman and Lincoln by Danny Johnston/AP)