We have a handful of new ads from both the Chip Cravaack and Rick Nolan campaigns and a few outside groups in the 8^th District this week.

The race, one of the tightest and closely-watched House contests in the country, is a magnet for advertising, so here's a rundown of the some of the newest spots on the air.

The first two spots come from the campaigns themselves. Cravaack, in his fourth ad of the cycle, serves a couple of purposes, highlighting his union chops from his time with Northwest Airlines, and hitting "Washington and Rick Nolan" for pushing regulations he says “will stop mining projects like PolyMet.” Here’s the spot:

Nolan is out with his third ad of the cycle, in which he calls for an immediate end to the war in Afghanistan and new investments in mining, manufacturing and timber — big industries in the 8^th District.

Outside groups are up with ads, as well. Former Sen. Norm Coleman’s American Action Network is running a new ad, worth $100,000, slamming Nolan for voting to raise congressional pay and skipping votes during his first stint in Congress. The ad is similar to one announced this week by the National Republican Congressional Committee. AAN says it has spent $780,000 on the race between the Duluth and Minneapolis media markets.

The liberal House Majority PAC has a health care-themed ad running in the Duluth market. The group says it’s a two-week, $650,000 buy — they’ve spent more than $1 million on the race.

The Minnesota DFL Party is on the air with a Medicare ad, as well.

Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dhenry