CAMPAIGN WATCH: This week in the race to November

HELENA (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Amanda Curtis has posted her first and perhaps only television ad, a major accomplishment for a candidate who entered the race in mid-August with no money.

The ad features Curtis meeting with Montanans and appealing to working families with her "one of us" message.

"I come from a family that's a lot like most other Montana families," Curtis says. "And the reason that I've stepped up to the plate is the chance to be the voice for working families like mine."

The ad started running this week in selected slots on network and cable channels. While there's a clear mid-October push to get the ad in front of viewers according to FCC filings, Curtis must pinch her pennies.

Her email announcing the ad also came with a request for donations. "Check out the ad and chip in a donation to help us reach more voters," the email said.

She has spent from $7,000 to $10,000 at television stations for ad time during "CBS This Morning," ''The Price is Right" and "Dr. Phil," among other shows.

Television ads for her opponent Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Daines, on the other hand, have blanketed the airwaves for months.

Daines also seemed to be ready for her announcement Thursday. Within a few hours of the Curtis' ad unveiling, Daines announced a new television ad and new radio ad were hitting the market.

Both Daines ads focus on the hot-button issue of public lands and say he's committed to protecting Montana's outdoor heritage.

"In Congress, Daines is fighting to increase our access to public lands and he passed bipartisan legislation to protect pristine areas around Glacier National Park," the ad says in reference to the North Fork Watershed Protection Act, which would prevent new oil and gas development and mining while allowing continued forest management in the area.

The ads appear to be in response a public-lands platform released by Curtis in late September to keep "public lands public."